


Love, Actually (But Without Some of the More Problematic Elements)

by anyrei, mugglerock



Series: Five Dimensions Series [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: And an Angel in Love with Humanity!, And the Schmoopsy Dean/Cas, Broken Cas/New Dean, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Crazy Dean/Cas, Eight Awesome Readers This is Gifted To, Eleven Almost Continuity Fuck Ups, Explicit Language, F/M, Fem!Cas/Dean, Fiiiiiiiive Dimeeeeeensions!, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Four Calls For Booze, Humor, It’s Really Fucking Fluffy, Light Angst, Like We Probably Shouldn't Even Tag for Angst, Lost Cas/Found Dean, Love Any and Frankie, M/M, Merry Xmas to Our Readers, My Fanfic Authors Gave to Me, Nine Inside Jokes, On the Last Day of Xmas, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Seven Swans a Swimming, Six Versions of the Same Pairing, So fluffy I'm gonna die, Ten Cliche Tropes, Three Hunters, Twelve Declarations of Never Again, Two Nephilim, You Guys Get it Yet, but no smut, like all the fluff, sorry folks, the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:13:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13154034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anyrei/pseuds/anyrei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugglerock/pseuds/mugglerock
Summary: Even six months after the other Dean sacrificed himself, Dean and Castiel still struggle with their guilt and a profound sadness for what that Dean lost with his sacrifice. Who would’ve thought five simple words could change that forever?[Timestamp for Dimension 5][Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with the movie Love, Actually.]





	1. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PawneePorpoise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawneePorpoise/gifts), [Hannah_ruth_990](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannah_ruth_990/gifts), [Patricia1974](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patricia1974/gifts), [MellQueenOfHell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MellQueenOfHell/gifts), [Azrah39](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azrah39/gifts), [steeleye1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeleye1/gifts), [HeatherLuvsDestiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeatherLuvsDestiel/gifts), [Awesomelypathetic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesomelypathetic/gifts).



> Frankie here: The final dimension’s timestamp! And unlike all of our other timestamps, this CANNOT be read as a standalone fic. In fact, not only should you read the main fic this timestamp is for, but you’re actually better off reading ALL of the other timestamps too for this to make sense. May we suggest you start [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11225268/chapters/25082139)?
> 
> Also, this fic is finished! It just needs to finish being edited, so you will not have to wait long for the next update. Hell, you'll likely get this fic in its entirety by the weekend, once all the holiday stuff dies down for us. 
> 
> This is our xmas gift to you, our awesome readers! We love you! Happy holidays! <3<3
> 
> And our final dimension timestamp is for ALL of you. All of the amazing readers/writers who have been with us and continue to impart their amazing love on us and our stories. You all bring smiles to our faces. Any time we post anything, we always love when we get comments, but it’s your comments specifically that we most look forward to. So, here’s our xmas gift to you this year! Any and I love you! <3<3
> 
> And feel free to follow us on our joint tumblr [here](https://the-real-anyrock.tumblr.com/)!

**Chapter 1**

 

Mary and Eileen were okay. Just minor injuries that Cas had healed. Without Cas needing to say anything, they drove to the location Dean was ordered to go. When they arrived, the shifters were already gone and they couldn’t find Dean’s body.

 

They searched everywhere. There was no trace of him other than a massive pool of blood on the dirt covered road. It was too much blood for Dean to have survived whatever happened to him.

 

The drive back home was filled with a tense silence. Cas felt numb. The thought that Dean had died for them, sacrificing everything  –  going back to his own life, his family, getting a chance to get his own Cas back – it broke his heart just thinking about it. He didn’t realize that he was crying until Dean reached over to pull him close. “It’s not fair, Dean.”

 

“I know, babe. I know,” he murmured against the crown of his head.

 

“I’m so angry right now. I just don’t know what to do,” Cas breathed out, pressing his face against Dean’s shoulder. “We should find those shifters and kill every last one of them.”

 

Dean’s shoulders sagged as he released a shaky exhale. “I’m all about ganking shifters, but you’re usually my voice of reason.”

 

Cas looked up then, his voice determined as he said, “This  _ is  _ my voice of reason. What if they find out you’re still alive? What if they try to do it again? He would have… died in vain.”

 

“Okay, babe. We’ll start research when we get back to the bunker.”

 

“Thank you, Dean.” It wouldn’t be enough to rip those shifters to shreds. It wouldn’t bring him back. But at least they could prevent something like this from ever happening again. Cas shook his head. “Just the thought that I could have lost you today… Don’t ever do that to me again.”

 

Dean gave him an assured shake of the head. “Never.” He knew he was lying, but the fact that Dean sounded so determined was good enough for him.

 

They said similar things to each other every time a hunt had a close call, or one of them got injured. It usually ended with them having sex afterwards. A clinginess and desperation underlining every kiss and touch.

 

Cas would probably ask Dean to stop hunting when Eileen’s baby was born. Sam and Dean still didn’t know about Eileen being pregnant, but he had a feeling that the surprise Mary and Eileen had been out for was related to her pregnancy. Cas hadn’t told her that he knew. He figured he should let her choose the time to tell everyone. 

 

It was a weird feeling to be happy on one side and heartbroken on the other. But Dean sacrificed his life so that they could have one. He would make the most of it, to honor his sacrifice.

 

But first he would make his righteous anger rain down on all of those shifters for daring to touch his family.

 

Dean pressed a kiss to his lips and murmured, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Me, too,” Cas returned before he kissed Dean back, prolonging it a little. “He gave us a second chance. We should make the most of it.”

 

“We will,” he breathed out. Dean drew back and cupped his cheek. “We will.”

 

**Six Months Later**

 

It had been a helluva year. The shit they’d seen, they’d endured. Pinpointing the exact moment the trajectory of their lives shifted was pretty easy. It was the day they met the other Dean. When the reality that there were other dimensions, some of which had versions of him and Cas having to deal with way more fucked up circumstances. So there was a gratitude there that would get completely shaded by a guilt for said gratitude. 

 

Why were they the lucky ones? What made them so special? Dean knew the other Dean’s death had fucked Cas up more than they acknowledged. It was subtle at first. After they exacted their revenge on that family of shifters  –  with the help of Crowley, no less  –  Cas pulled a complete one-eighty. It was simply him requesting to stay behind and keep an eye on Eileen. Which slowly turned into Eileen asking Sam to stay behind, and after she came clean about being knocked up, hunting became less and less of a thing.

 

After three months, Dean and Mom were the only ones going on hunts. With the exception of the occasional run for Crowley. Then one night, Cas sat him down and asked him to stop. Dean wanted to argue, but the way Cas looked at him. A damnably hopeful and loving expression… He couldn’t have said no. So they stopped hunting. Eileen was about a month away from popping, so she was grumpy and tired, and Sam was dopey and doting. It was something Dean never thought he’d see in their lifetimes. 

 

They had come far from the lives they used to live. Sam even got himself a real job. And every so often, Dean would realize just how damn lucky he was, which always paved way for his guilt. 

 

It got easier to ignore as time went by, but sometimes it lingered. That’s where he found himself, even on Christmas Eve. Or maybe it was supposed to be especially. Dean was in the kitchen, making coffee for everyone but Eileen and Cas, who wanted hot chocolate.

 

He almost startled when Cas suddenly wrapped his arms around him from behind and kissed his neck.  _ Freaking ninja angel _ . “How are you?” Cas asked softly.

 

Dean chuckled and turned around so they were face to face. “Better now.”

 

“It’s snowing outside.” Cas leaned closer and pressed his cold nose against his cheek before he kissed him. “I built a snowman. Do you want to see it?”

 

Damn, he loved that angel. Dean nodded. “Sure.”

 

“I may or may not have used Sam’s scarf for a snowman and an old hat I found in the storage room. He looks like he is from the fifties. I think he’ll need a hunting knife though and a few sigils, but I wanted to ask your opinion first,” Cas explained enthusiastically as he intertwined their fingers to pull him after him to the stairs.

 

“I love how childlike you get around snow,” Dean said with a chuckle.

 

Cas rolled his eyes. “I just want to know how to do things before our niece is born.” 

 

Dean squeezed Cas’s hand and stopped him from walking for a moment. He used his free hand to cup Cas’s cheek and stepped closer to him. “You know she won’t be able to build a snowman for a few years, right?”

 

“Yes, which gives me time to perfect my technique. You should see the first five I tried to build.” Cas shuddered like it was a bad memory.

 

“I love you,” Dean said in a soft murmur as he closed the distance and kissed him. 

 

Cas deepened the kiss, even after such a long time together, he still managed to make him go weak in the damn knees. “I love you, too.” Cas smiled at him.

 

Before they could walk upstairs, Sam stopped him. “Hey, there you are. Would you come to the library? We want to make a toast to family.”

 

Dean looked at Cas and nodded. “Maybe you can drag everyone up to come see the snowmen?”

 

Cas nodded with a smile and they followed Sam to the library where his family was gathered around the large table, talking and drinking eggnog, and some alcohol free fruit punch for the underage and pregnant alike. Bobby was there with Jody, Claire, and Alex. The three women were presently busy asking Eileen a lot of questions about her pregnancy. Bobby didn’t seem to be amused.

 

Sam waved at them as he announced, “Okay, I got the two love birds.” He reached over and handed Dean and Cas each a glass of eggnog. “To family.”

 

Dean clinked his glass against his brother’s. “To our family.”

 

Cas leaned closer to Dean, murmuring, “And to Dean, who made this possible for us.”

 

“To Dean, here’s hoping he gets to see his Cas in Heaven,” Dean affirmed as he nodded to Cas, pressing a kiss to his temple.

 

He didn’t like seeing Cas like that; sad and still looking heartbroken whenever they mentioned the other Dean. When Cas turned to look at him, he gave him a smile, but Dean could see through it. Cas was just trying to hide how much Dean’s sacrifice still affected him.

 

After a moment, he turned to their family again. “I wanted to show you guys something outside. I built a few snowmen and I need input on how to perfect my technique.”

 

Dean smiled at the murmuring agreement all around as everyone grabbed their hats and coats before they made their way to the stairs again. Dean gently bumped his hip into Cas’s and whispered, “You okay?”

 

Cas didn’t answer immediately and looked away from him when he finally did, “Of course. Why wouldn't I be?”

 

Dean grabbed his hand and twirled him around to face him. “Nice try, angel.”

 

Cas sighed deeply and shook his head. He pulled Dean into a soft hug and a quick kiss. “Don’t worry. I just need a moment. I still get very sad sometimes when I think of him, how much he sacrificed for our happiness. I guess sometimes... I feel guilty, even though I know he wouldn’t want that.”

 

Dean held the door open for everyone to leave the bunker, halting Cas by his forearm before he could follow them. He let go of the door to pull Cas into another hug. “I get it. I do. Sometimes I wish I’d gone instead of him. Maybe I would've lived, you know?”

 

Cas gave him a pained expression before he shook his head. “I'm selfish, Dean. I need you. I feel guilty because I'm happy it wasn’t you. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

 

“Not gonna lie, it would’ve sucked not being around to see our niece be born, you know?” Dean sighed and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Why don’t we try to enjoy this holiday? For all of the versions of us that might not get to have this.”

 

Cas gave him a sad smile before he nodded and intertwined their fingers. “Help me build the most perfect snowman then?”

 

Dean nodded and squeezed his hand. “As you wish.”

 

“I’m still not your princess, Dean.” Cas rolled his eyes, but he was smiling for real now. The sadness finally gone from his eyes.

 

“See? You  _ say  _ that, but our history proves otherwise. I rescued you from a nefarious kingdom, and you turned your back on your family to marry someone below your station. That’s all princess, babe.”

 

Cas suddenly smirked and he knew that expression meant trouble. He leaned over and whispered into his ear, “But you looked so nice in your pink panties last night. You could be a modern princess that saves the knight.”

 

Dean tongued the corner of his mouth and quirked his brow at the angel. “Low blow. Besides, screw you. If I recall,  _ you  _ were the one who  _ begged  _ me to put ‘em on.”

 

Cas chuckled and kissed his cheek. “And you selflessly did that just to please me, right?”

 

“Exactly. Because no one alive, besides you, me, and Rhonda Hurley know about that particular secret of mine.” Dean cupped his face to press a kiss full on the lips. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too,” Cas returned softly, pressing a quick kiss to his nose. 

 

Dean couldn’t help but smile. He chucked Cas’s chin. “Come on. Show me these snowmen.”

 

Cas cringed and gave him a worried look. “Do you really want to see them? It’s a very sad and disturbing view.”

 

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m kinda hopin’ you pulled a Calvin and we’ll see a winter horror show of snowmen butchering other snowmen.” Dean winked at him.

 

Cas looked down at the floor, biting his lip. “There was a snow shark… It was an accident.”

 

Dean barked out a laugh and smiled at Cas. “Please tell me you recreated the end scene from Jaws.”

 

Cas just waggled his eyebrows and pulled him outside. It was quiet and cold outside, apart from the crunching of the snow beneath their feet as they walked around to the side of the bunker. A few snowflakes were still falling, their breaths coming out in mist. When they reached the others, they were building a new snowman amidst the horror show that Cas called his first few tries at building one. 

 

Two of them didn’t look anything like a snowman should. More like anthropomorphic blobs, snowmen that had melted and then tried to refreeze themselves in some kind of form. If they could pull a Frosty the Snowman, Dean was pretty sure they’d be screaming in agony. When Cas said a snow shark happened, Dean had full on expected to see a simple fin. No. Cas had managed to make the large mound of snow look like the nose of a Great White shark emerging from the sea.

 

One of the snowmen was anatomically correct, which prompted the immature teenager inside of Dean to snicker into his glove. And the final hot mess of a snowman was… Well, it seemed more like abstract art. As though Picasso got ahold of some snow. Dean also needed to have a talk with Cas about historical accuracy, because putting a tweed walking hat and Sam’s scarf on a pile of snow did not mean that snowman belonged in the fifties.

 

Dean chuckled and shook his head in amazement. “This far exceeded my hopes.”

 

Cas tilted his head. “I tried. I tried very hard. The shark wasn’t an accident. I needed something to blame for this.”

 

Dean stared at Cas for a moment before he broke out into a fit of laughter. He shook his head as he tried to compose himself. “I don’t have words.”

 

Cas rubbed the back of his neck before he shyly asked, “Would you help me build a real one?”

 

“Not gonna lie, I prefer all of these to a real snowman.”

 

Cas frowned before he gave him a confused look. “But they aren’t anything like how a snowman is supposed to look.”

 

Dean shrugged. “So?” He turned to the others and said, “Guys, Cas thinks he failed making snowmen ‘cause they don’t look how they’re ‘supposed’ to look.” 

 

“Are you kidding?” Claire announced with a laugh. “They’re awesome! Especially the shark!”

 

“I’m rather fond of the artistic one,” Mary said with a genuine smile.

 

“But I didn’t plan for him to look like that. The head kept falling off. And then he lost an eye and I couldn’t find it anymore,” Cas explained with a thoroughly confused expression.

 

Dean looped his arm over Cas’s shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Only you, baby. Only you.”

 

“Do you still want to help me build a new one? I want to see how you do it,” Cas said as he leaned against Dean, pressing his cold nose against Dean’s cheek.

 

“Yeah, come on.” Dean got down on his knees and started scooping as much snow as he could into a huge pile to start the base.

 

Cas knelt next to him, watching him carefully until Claire threw a snowball that hit him square in the face. Cas clearly hadn’t seen it coming. He scrunched up his nose in the most adorable way before he looked at Claire with a frown. “Why did you do that?”

 

“You looked way too concentrated. Building a snowman is supposed to be fun,” Claire chastised in a chuckle before she threw another snowball. Which he successfully dodged that time. It hit the underside of their new snowman.

 

Dean chuckled and just patted it into the base. “Thanks, Cyrus!” He smiled at Cas. “She’s right, this is supposed to be fun.”

 

Cas nodded before he started rolling a second snowball for the torso. “I think our snowman should have horns.”

 

“Thought you wanted it to be normal?” Dean asked, entirely incapable of keeping a straight face.

 

“Seems like normal is overrated.” Cas shrugged with a smile.

 

Dean nodded. “Horns it is!” He proceeded to help Cas with the middle before he started the head. 

 

When Cas finished forming the horns on its head, he stepped back and smirked. “We built a Snow-Crowley. It’s missing an empty bottle of scotch.”

 

Dean barked out a laugh and pulled his cellphone out to snap a picture before he texted it to Crowley. He took a step back to admire their work. “I’m half tempted to go grab one to complete the snowman.”

 

“You grab the bottle. I’ll collect twigs and stones for the face.”

 

“You should see if there’s any moss you can use for his beard,” Dean said as he made his way to the garage, where they kept their garbage until the weekly dump trip. Thankfully, because Cas and Sam were environment freaks, recyclables were always kept in separate bags, so it took him less than five minutes to find an empty bottle of scotch.

 

When he came back, Cas had pretty much finished Snow-Crowley’s face. “It’s uncanny!” Dean called out to his boyfriend.

 

Cas gave him a look like even he was surprised how much the face really looked like Crowley’s. “Right? The moss was a brilliant idea, Dean.”

 

Dean laughed and nodded. He forced the empty bottle into the middle part of Snow-Crowley to make it look like he was holding it. Which prompted a second picture to be taken and a second text to Crowley:

 

_ New and improved Snow-Crowley! _

 

Cas leaned over his shoulder. “Did you send a picture to Crowley?”

 

Before Dean could answer, Crowley texted back. _ Where are my snow-hellhounds? _

 

Cas chuckled and shook his head. “They are invisible. He should know that.”

 

Dean barked out a laugh.

 

_ Cas says they’re invisible. You should know that. _

 

_ Is Cas finally so bored with you that he wanted to build a snowman in my image? _

 

Dean rolled his eyes at the text and showed the phone to Cas. “Apparently, Crowley thinks you have a thing for him.”

 

“Do you want me to punch Snow-Crowley’s face?” Cas asked with a head tilt. 

 

“Nah, save that for the real Crowley. Snow-Crowley has never said anything rude to you.” Dean pocketed his phone and grabbed Cas’s hand, intertwining their fingers as he pressed a kiss to Cas’s cheek. 

 

Everyone else was murmuring about how cold it was and started to make their way back inside the bunker. Dean looked at Cas and shrugged. “Wanna go back?”

 

Cas shook his head, pulling him towards the treeline where more untouched snow covered the field. It looked kind of magical in the sunset, tinting the white in a warm orange glow. “I really like Christmas. It’s nice having everyone here.”

 

Dean nodded and pulled Cas flush against him, Cas’s back cuddled against him as Dean rested his head on his shoulder. “It’s nice to be able to celebrate without the worry of something bad coming at us for once.”

 

“Yeah,” Cas breathed out before he turned around and pulled Dean into a deep kiss. He smiled against his lips. “We didn’t build a snow-angel. Just a snow-demon.”

 

“Snow-angels are way easier to make,” he murmured against Cas’s lips, which were surprisingly warm considering the rest of his face was an icicle.

 

Cas raised a surprised eyebrow. “They are? Why is that?”

 

Dean smirked. “Let me show you.” He pushed Cas to the ground, settling between his legs as he proceeded to start kissing him with more fervor now that they were alone.

 

Cas chuckled and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as he wrapped his arms around him, rocking his hips softly against Dean. When he drew back, he smiled brightly. “You make snow-angels by pushing an angel into the snow?”

 

“Well, sort of.” Dean reluctantly drew back from Cas to lay on the mound of snow next to him. He started moving his arms and legs to create the effect. “This is how you make a snow-angel.”

 

Cas stood up and shook the snow off himself, watching what Dean was doing with a frown.  He helped him up when Dean reached out his hand and jumped next to Cas so he wouldn’t damage the shape he had left in the snow. Cas squinted his eyes at the shape. “Do you really think your angel could fly with such a small set of wings?”

 

Dean chuckled and shook his head. “Are you seriously judging my accuracy on a snow angel considering your snowmen?”

 

“I thought you liked my snowmen?” Cas asked, pursing his lips.

 

“I do. I’m just sayin’... If you think you can do a better job…” Dean pointed at the ground next to him in offer.

 

Cas walked a few steps away from Dean’s snow angel before he carefully laid down in the snow. He didn’t move his arms or legs though. When Cas stood up again to show Dean the shape he had made, he knew why he hadn’t moved around. There was a massive imprint of huge wings next to Cas’s shape in the snow.

 

Cas shook off the snow from his clothes again and nodded. “That’s more accurate. No dress and big wings.”

 

“Dude! That’s cheating! You can’t use  _ real  _ angel wings to make a snow angel.” Dean tried to sound annoyed, but the damnable smile and chuckle were a dead giveaway he was anything but.

 

“Why not?” Cas tilted his head.

 

Dean honestly had no idea why that was cheating. So he said the first thing that popped into his head, “Because… shut up.”

 

Cas raised an eyebrow before he chuckled and drew him into another deep kiss. Dean knew he would never get tired of feeling Cas’s demanding tongue inside his mouth. When he pulled back, they were both breathless. “You’re cold. We should go inside.”

 

“You might need to warm me up,” Dean suggested with an eyebrow waggle.

 

Cas smirked and kissed him again. Warm fingers slid under his jacket to grip his hip. “Anything you want, Dean,” Cas growled before he nipped Dean’s lower lip. 

 

Someone cleared their throat behind them.

 

Dean swore if it was Sammy, he was gonna strangle him for being a cock-block… again. He turned and saw a young kid, in his late teens, staring at them with a weirdly familiar head tilt. “Can we help you?” Dean asked.

 

Cas tensed before flashing Dean a worried look. 

 

The kid was completely unfazed and smiled brightly at them. “Yes. My name is Jack.”


	2. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankie here: Oh, man! Sorry about the delay! So, I'll be slowly updating this fic throughout the night. We hope you like the way we wrap up this timestamp! <3<3<3
> 
> ALSO: Any has a little surprise for all of you at the end of each chapter, so you best be showering her in love and destiel kisses! <3<3

**Chapter 2**

 

Dean had told Cas about the journey he had made through the alternative timelines on his quest to save Cas’s life. How small things had changed their whole history, but how they still had basic things in common. 

 

Jack loved to hear those stories. For some reason, he liked the first dimension Dean had travelled to the most. Maybe because Dean and Cas had a child of their own in that dimension.

 

When Dean talked about them, Cas always felt a little funny in his chest area. He knew Dean liked children and he was a little saddened by the fact that it wasn’t something he could give to him in a male vessel. But then they did have Jack.

 

Cas couldn’t be more proud of him. He had come so far in such a short period of time. And Dean would periodically point out to Cas that they must have been doing something right with him. 

 

It was Christmas when Jack had finally gotten control over the impressive amount of power he wielded. It was then that he burst into the library with a huge smile on his face, announcing, “I can do it! I can safely travel between dimensions!”

 

Dean looked at him with a quirked brow over the top of his favorite Vonnegut novel. “Figured that out when you got Mom back, Spazz.” 

 

Jack shook his head. “That was different, Dean. It was the first rift I created, but now I can see and go anywhere. More precisely, I wanted to ask if you wanted to see them again? You know, the worlds you visited. Do you want to see how they’re doing?”

 

His eyes widened as he dropped his book. “You can do that?”

 

Jack nodded enthusiastically and Cas stood up slowly, feeling concerned. “Are you sure it isn’t dangerous? One of those worlds was as equally damaged as the one Mary had been trapped in.”

 

Jack nodded again. “There is no risk. I can open and close rifts any time I want. And the world Dean described is doing a lot better.”

 

Dean’s eyes lit up at that. “And it won’t fuck with the cosmic-whatever if we go visit them?”

 

“No. You don’t have to worry. It’s perfectly safe.” Jack sounded very enthusiastic and it was hard not to get excited as well. “And I really want to meet your daughter,” Jack added with a bright smile.

 

Cas couldn’t deny that he also wished to meet her.

 

Dean smiled at Cas. “Whaddya say? You up for an adventure?”

 

Cas grabbed Dean's hand and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I'd like that very much. We should tell Sam where we’re going though."

 

"He won't notice that we're gone. I’ll bring us back to this exact moment in time," Jack explained calmly.

 

Dean nodded and smiled a little sadly. “Yeah, it might be better if he doesn’t know.”

 

Cas remembered that in one of the dimensions Eileen and Sam were together, so he nodded with a deep sigh. Dean was probably right in such an assessment. He didn't want to make Sam unnecessarily sad.  “You’re right.”

 

Jack held out his hands for both of them to take before Cas could feel the way space and time was warping around them, taking them right in front of the bunker in the blink of an eye.

 

Dean shook his head and looked around. He turned to Jack. “Are we…”

 

Jack grinned, looking proud of himself. “It’s the first universe I sent you to.”

 

Without hesitation, Dean gently grabbed Cas by the hand and dragged him to the door. He knocked and squeezed Cas’s hand, clearly excited.

 

“I’m nervous,” Cas whispered as he leaned against Dean’s shoulder, returning the squeeze.

 

Before Dean could say anything, the door was slammed open and they were immediately at gunpoint by none other than his female doppelgänger. Dean smiled and said, “Miss me, kitten?”

 

She squinted her eyes at him before she lowered her gun and looked at Cas with wide eyes. It was weird to see himself in another body. “Dean!” she breathed out before she shot Cas another confused gaze. “What…”

 

Cas stepped aside and pointed to Jack. “This is Jack. He is a very powerful nephilim. He brought us here for a visit.”

 

The female version of himself still stared at him for a moment before she suddenly hugged Dean. “You made it!”

 

Cas felt an irritating stab of jealousy in that moment, which was very weird.

 

Dean chuckled and drew back, looking her over with an impressed quirk of the brow. “You look great.”

 

Cas felt another stab in his heart. He always wondered if Dean would have been happier if he had a female vessel instead of a male one. 

 

His female version smirked up at him. “You still don’t look as good as my Dean. Come on in.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes and tugged on Cas’s hand to follow him inside. He leaned in close and whispered to him, “First time I met her, I told her she was  _ almost  _ as pretty as you.”

 

Cas instantly felt bad about feeling jealous. He should have more trust in Dean’s feelings towards him. He gave him a thankful smile, squeezing his hand.

 

They were greeted by the sight of the other Dean, who was holding a six month old baby in his arms. Cas could sense that she was a nephilim. He could also sense how she was a part of him and Dean and it felt incredible. He tried to ignore the hollow feeling in his chest that she wasn’t theirs, but took comfort in the fact that they had her in another life.

 

The other Dean looked up at them in surprise.

 

“Bet you never thought you’d see me again!” Dean exclaimed as he approached, hunched over to greet the baby. “Hi, beautiful.”

 

“Son of a b – ” The other Dean stopped himself as he received a stern look from the female angel. “Is this your Castiel?” The other Dean stared at him with wide eyes, giving him an admiring once over. “Damn, Cassie. Your male version looks pretty hot, too.”

 

Cassie smacked him upside the head. “I swear, no version of you is happy unless you’re hitting on a version of us.” She grabbed the infant and started cooing at her as she approached him and Dean. She smiled. “Would you like to hold her?” she asked Cas.

 

Their eyes met and  _ of course  _ his female version knew exactly what he was thinking. He nodded gratefully, feeling a little lump in his throat as he carefully took the baby in his arms with a smile. “She is incredible,” he breathed out. The girl had wide blue eyes and a patch of freckles across her nose. Dean’s nose and lips, but the jet black, unruly hair she clearly got from her mother. 

 

It felt like holding a part of himself in his hands. “I’m so happy for the both of you.”

 

Cassie smiled as she slipped onto her Dean’s lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “We are quite happy, too.”

 

Cas smiled at her, nodding towards Jack  – who hesitantly came closer  –  smiling at the baby girl. She stretched her arms out for him as soon as he came within reach. “She is so tiny.” Jack sounded like he was in awe.

 

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, that was the size we were expecting you to be.”

 

The other Dean gave Jack a once over. "So, who are you?"

 

"I'm Jack," he answered simply.

 

Cas chuckled and clarified for him, "He is our son. Not our biological son, but family doesn't end in blood."

 

“Like Claire?” Cassie asked.

 

Cas gave Dean a confused look. "Claire is my vessel's daughter," he explained slowly.

 

“Oh, Dean said Claire was like the daughter he never had. It’s why we named our baby after her.” Cassie smiled at her Dean. 

 

Cas gave Dean a surprised look before he smiled at him. "You did?" Hearing that made him incredibly happy. They may not have biological children, but they had Claire and Jack. He had a family. 

 

Dean shrugged noncommittally. “What can I say? I give her a hard time, but she’s grown on me.”

 

Cas gave the other Dean a proud look. “Claire is a hunter now. She has grown into a very independent, strong woman.”

 

Cassie scrutinized Jack for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise. She almost appeared hesitant as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Is he the spawn of Lucifer that you told us about?”

 

Cas squinted his eyes at Dean before he looked at his female version. “You have nothing to worry about. Jack is fathered by Lucifer, but he is also half human. He’s grown into a young man that I'm very honored to call my son.”

 

The way Jack smiled, ducking his head in apparent embarrassment, was all the more endearing. Dean chuckled and ruffled Jack’s hair. “Yeah, he’s about as dangerous as a bunny rabbit.”

 

“He brought us here so we could meet your Claire,” Cas explained when the other Dean touched Dean’s shoulder with a grin.

 

“It’s awesome that you made it. Cassie and I wondered about that and it's pretty cool to know that you saved your Castiel.”

 

Dean smiled at Cas. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it.” He turned to Cassie and the other Dean as he finished, “You wouldn’t believe how fucked up our lives were in some of those timelines.”

 

The other Dean gestured towards the library. “If you have time, we could sit down and have a drink. You could tell us what happened.”

 

Dean had taken the invitation and moved to sit down at one of the tables in the library as he started to tell the story of his journey. Jack sat close by, listening intently even though he probably must have heard the story a million times by now. 

 

Cas looked down at the baby in his arms with a smile. “Are you planning to have more children?” he asked his female counterfeit.

 

Cassie looked at her Dean and smiled. “We’ve talked about it. We’re waiting to see how Claire fairs with the human world.”

 

Cas nodded before he asked, “How was it? To create a new life.” Cas shot a loving look towards Dean, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Cassie. “To do this with Dean.”

 

“Surprisingly painful.” Cassie stood up and gently pushed Claire’s hair out of her face. “But I’d gladly do it again. She is worth everything.”

 

“I envy you, being able to create a new life and to see her grow up into a beautiful person. But I’m also very happy for you,” Cas said after a moment before he sighed deeply and gave Claire back to Cassie. “I know you will be a wonderful mother.”

 

She played with the infant’s hand, softly laughing at the way she gripped her index finger before she regarded Cas with an unreadable expression. “Just because you cannot procreate with your Dean, does not mean your bond is any less meaningful, Castiel.”

 

“He went through all of this just for me. I know how strong our bond is. It seems to be strong in a lot of universes.” Cas touched her shoulder and gave her a smile before they joined the others at the table. Cas sat down next to Dean and took his hand in his, flashing him a soft smile as he gave his hand another squeeze.

 

Dean pressed a kiss to Cas’s cheek. “I told him about the bizarro world where we were all raised in the life by Mom instead, so it was a weird combination of normal and totally not normal. So, I’m pretty sure they’ll do just fine with Claire.”

 

“I’m sure Claire will have the best parents in the world.” Cas smiled at him before he added, “I know you would make a perfect father.”

 

“And we already know you’re a great Mom,” Dean said with a wink. 

 

Cas couldn’t help but smile. “We know that?”

 

“Oh, yeah. You nag like one.” 

 

“You’re grounded.” Cas chuckled. He had tried to say it in a serious tone of voice, but he failed miserably.

 

Dean barked out a laugh and shook his head. He turned to the other Dean and Cassie, fixing them with a soft smile. “Well, we should probably stop intruding on your Christmas.”

 

“Are you going to visit the other dimensions, too?” the other Dean asked before he added, “if our other selves are anything like us, I bet they’d wanna know what happened to you after you left.”

 

Jack answered before they could, “I want to visit them all.”

 

Dean furrowed his brow. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. At least for a couple of them.”

 

Jack tilted his head. “Don’t worry. I can see the other universes and there isn’t anything dangerous in any of them. We can safely visit everyone you have helped.”

 

The other Dean touched Dean’s shoulder again. “When you see them, wish them a Merry Christmas from us.”

 

Dean chuckled. “I don’t suppose you’d let us take a pic of the three of you?”

 

“‘Course we would,” the other Dean answered with a grin.

 

Dean moved to stand, taking a few steps back as the other Dean and Cassie stood in front of their makeshift Christmas tree made of car parts, holding up a yawning Claire. Dean snapped a picture with his cell phone and pocketed it. “Thanks, guys.”

 

Before they left the dimension, Cas cast another longing look towards the baby, sighing as he took Jack’s hand. He knew Dean and Cassie would have a great and happy life together with their family. 

 

Because good things do happen.

 


	3. Angels We Have Heard on High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SERIOUSLY HER DAMN ART FOR THIS FIC, GUYS. RAIN ALL THE LOVE ON ANY. <3<3

**Chapter 3**

 

When they materialized in the next dimension, Dean had been a little worried they’d wind up back in that damn psych prison on the off chance Crazy Dean had gotten caught after he left. He was grateful for the fact that wasn’t the case. In fact, Dean didn’t even recognize where they were. It was weirdly sunny and warm where they were, considering it was the end of December.

 

Dean turned to Cas and furrowed his brow as he said, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

 

Cas rolled his eyes at Dean before he looked around and stated, “We’re in California. Palo Alto, to be precise.”

 

He couldn’t help but chuckle as he soaked in his surroundings. They were standing in front of a… what Dean  _ assumed  _ was an apartment building. Well, an apartment building that had been designed by M.C. Escher. It was boring tan and white colors, but had weird, blocky protrusions. Some of the protrusions were windows, others were… Dean had no idea. Friggin’ California. 

 

Jack looked up at the building with a smile. “Sam lives here. They are visiting him.”

 

Dean couldn’t have stopped the grin that spread if he tried. Considering the life Crazy Dean had lived in this dimension, having been separated from Sammy when he was four, it warmed him to no end that things really seemed to be looking up for him. Dean grasped Cas’s hand and looked up at the building. 

 

“Do you know which apartment they’re in?” Dean asked Jack.

 

Jack walked towards the door and read over the names. “We could just ring the one for Winchester-slash-Moore?”

 

Dean’s eyes widened in surprise. “Jessica Moore?”

 

Jack shrugged and rang the bell. Cas squeezed Dean’s hand and leaned closer. “Wasn’t Jessica Moore Sam’s first girlfriend?”

 

“First serious girlfriend. She, uh… she died like Mom.” Dean was surprised at how nervous he suddenly felt. The sound of the intercom buzzer and the click of the door unlocking almost made him jump. He grabbed the handle and held it open for Cas and Jack. 

 

Jack enthusiastically ran up the stairs without waiting for them, practically flying up the flight of stairs. Dean couldn’t see him anymore, but he heard someone opening the door on one of the upper levels. He then heard Sam’s voice ask, “Hi, who are you?”

 

Dean chuckled and shook his head at Cas. “He’s your kid.”

 

Cas squinted his eyes at Dean. “I thought he was your son, too?”

 

They could hear Jack answering Sam in an excited tone, “Hello, Sam, my name is Jack. We wanted to visit Dean and wish you a Merry Christmas.”

 

“He’s only mine when he’s not embarrassing us.” Dean pressed a kiss to Cas’s cheek before they rounded the last staircase and entered the hallway where Jack was.

 

When Sam looked up and saw him, he did a double take before his eyes widened. “What the… Dean!”

 

A second later the other Dean was standing next to Sam in the doorway. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Dean, but his expression quickly became happy. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the one that saved me.”

 

When Cas finally walked up next to Dean, his doppelgänger gasped. “Castiel!”

 

Before anyone could say anything, the other Castiel appeared in the hallway, angel blade at the ready. He tilted his head at Cas before he dropped the blade to his side. “You’re from another universe,” he stated matter-of-factly.

 

Sam looked like he was losing it. “Could someone explain to me what the  _ hell  _ is going on?”

 

“Well, that depends on how clueless you are. Basically, all the shit in horror and fantasy flicks is real. These two look alikes are angels, and I was sent by this rugrat…” Dean ruffled Jack’s hair for emphasis. “To hop from dimension to dimension to pass a series of tests to save my version of said angel.”

 

Sam looked at the other Dean with an exasperated expression. “What?”

 

“What is it, Sa–” Jessica appeared in the doorway and stopped short at seeing a bad version of the Parent Trap playing out before her eyes. She stared at them all with wide eyes before she murmured, “Holy shit! What did you put in those muffins?”

 

Dean chuckled and looked to the other Dean. “I’m really glad you made it.”

 

The other Dean stepped forward and pulled Dean into a hug. “You have no idea how grateful I am. Thanks to you, I finally have a life.” He pulled back, smiling at him before he turned to Sam. “We should go inside. I can explain everything.”

 

Sam and Jessica still looked like they were having a bad trip, Dean smiled at his brother’s doppelgänger and nodded his reassurance. “I swear, you guys are in for one helluva story.”

 

The other Castiel squinted his eyes at Jack, but before he could say anything, Cas put his hand on his shoulder and gave him an intense look. They didn't exchange any words, but the other Cas nodded and slipped his blade back into his trench coat pocket before he followed them inside. 

 

Jack was like a kid at Christmas  – which he technically  _ was  _ –  walking up to their Christmas tree and taking everything in with wide, excited eyes. Even though he was a teenager in physical appearance, he acted more like a kid most of the time.

 

Jessica pointed to the couch in an offer and said, "We just opened a bottle of eggnog. Would you guys like some?" She seemed to have quickly and calmly accepted that they were seating two Castiels (in the exact same outfit) and two Deans (in slightly different ones).

 

“Yeah, actually, I’d love some,” Dean said as he wrapped his arm around Cas’s shoulder. “And I’m sure you guys have a lot of questions.”

 

“I don’t even know where to start,” Sam mumbled as he sat down in a chair across from them. “This is so weird. Like some kind of science fiction movie. Wait… you aren’t like evil twins, right?”

 

Dean barked out a laugh. “You’re a smart guy. Are you tellin’ me you’ve never heard of the multiverse theory?” Thank Chuck for Family Guy was all Dean had to say about that.

 

"You mean: the theory that a multiverse exists and that these universes comprise everything that subsists, the entirety of spacetime, matter, energy, and the physical laws and constants? Where every decision we make can hypothetically create another universe, up until eternity?" Sam rambled with wide, disbelieving eyes.

 

Cas leaned back against the couch. "Exactly."

 

Dean nodded. “And when my Cas was killed by Lucifer, Jack here opened a rift for me to visit five other dimensions and pass a series of tests, or a quest, or however you want to see it, to bring him back. And your brother was the second Dean I visited.”

 

His doppelgänger nodded. “My whole life I thought I was crazy, seeing things like monsters. Dean saved me and I found Castiel because of him. They are the reason I finally found you Sam.” To Dean’s surprise, his doppelgänger intertwined his fingers with his own Cas. Apparently their friendship had taken a different turn as well. “They’re the reason I’m finally happy.”

 

“Nah, your happiness is all on you. I just helped you get free enough to find it,” Dean said with an affirmative nod.

 

The other Dean smiled at him before he looked over at Cas. "And you completed your quest and saved your Castiel. I'm happy for you."

 

Dean returned the smile as he squeezed Cas’s hand. “I’ve gotta admit, I was worried about you.”

 

The other Dean smiled softly as he leaned against his Castiel. "I found Bobby, like you told me. He helped me rescue Castiel and we live in a safe house now, far away from everything." He looked up at his Castiel, who returned the look with a soft smile. "Cas has been showing me the world. We took a few short vacations and, after a while, I finally felt brave enough to call Sam." 

 

That was one helluva story. To go from one extreme to the other was kind of amazing, and Dean was weirdly proud of the other version of himself. He turned to Sam and asked, “Did you know you had a brother? Or what happened?”

 

Sam had been entirely quiet until now, sitting next to Jessica, who had returned with their drinks. He shook his head. “Not in the beginning. When I was old enough, I researched what happened to my family and found out much later that I had a brother. I just couldn’t find him.”

 

The other Castiel nodded with a smile. "And now Dean can visit Sam whenever he likes. I can just fly him over."

 

Sam's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, that's why Dean didn't want the money for a plane ticket. Because you’re a real life angel! I still can't believe I have an angel sitting in my living room."

 

"Actually, two and a half angels," Cas added helpfully.

 

Dean chuckled at the look on Sam’s face. “Jack here’s a nephilim.” He looked at his doppelgänger and shrugged apologetically. “Sorry about bursting their bubbles. I honestly didn’t even think about the fact that Sammy wouldn’t know about the life.”

 

The other Dean shook his head. "I wanted to tell him the truth about Cas. I don't want to keep secrets."

 

His doppelgänger leaned forward before he whispered, "A nephilim is half angel, half human, right?" He turned to his Castiel. "Is there anything I should know about sex between us?"

 

Watching the other Castiel lose his stoic expression was pretty hilarious. "Um... no..." He didn't sound too sure, which made his answer even more funny. 

 

Cas just smirked, making it even worse when he said, “Jack is our son.”

 

Dean knew he’d need to get a handle on things before panic set in and the other Dean ran out and bought a bunch of pregnancy tests, getting himself sent right back to a looney bin. “Our  _ adopted _ son. His father was an archangel.”

 

The other Castiel glared at Cas before he nodded in understanding. "That explains the massive power he is radiating. Although it's very nice to meet you, maybe you shouldn't stay too long. I don't want him to draw unwanted attention to us."

 

“Hey, man. He’s got control. But you may be right, we don’t want to intrude on your guys’ family time,” Dean said.

 

"And we’ve got a few more places to visit!" Jack interjected with a bright smile, clearly unfazed by the other angel’s discomfort. "I feel like one of those Christmas ghosts from the book you gave me, Father."

 

"A Christmas Carol?" Cas asked with a smile.

 

Jack nodded before he hugged everyone enthusiastically. "Dean, can you take another picture?"

 

At the perplexed looks from everyone else, Dean chuckled and pulled out his phone. “You guys wanna see what Cas looks like as a chick?”

 

The other Castiel tilted his head. "I'm a chicken in another universe?"

 

Dean caught the way Cas rolled his eyes before he answered in a mildly annoyed tone, "He means a woman. We had a female vessel in the first universe we visited."

 

“And a nephilim together,” Dean added as he pulled up the picture and handed his phone to the other Cas. “Pretty little thing thankfully has her mother’s looks.”

 

Cas walked up to his doppelgänger as the angel took in the photo with wide eyes. He put his hand on his shoulder and Dean could hear him whisper to the other angel, "I know. I felt the same way when I first saw her."

 

The other Castiel looked at the picture in awe before he inhaled deeply. “She even has his freckles."

 

Dean smiled at Cas. “We make pretty babies apparently.”

 

Cas smiled back at Dean, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Instead, he gave the other angel a terse nod. "I don't know how long you've already been on earth, but... allow yourself to enjoy this happiness. Be selfish."

 

The other Cas nodded before he showed the picture to his Dean, who was staring at it with an open mouth. "Damn, you're hot as a girl."

 

“And twice as sassy,” Dean added with a wink at his Cas. 

 

Cas and the other Castiel exchanged a look of solidarity before the other Castiel asked, "Do you find yourself questioning your choice in vessel often?"

 

"More often than I care to admit. Especially in those moments," Cas stated dryly. 

 

“Babe, you could be in the form of a cheeseburger and I’d still love you.”

 

Cas patted Dean's stomach. "Oh, I believe you."

 

Dean quirked his brow at him. “Love me, love my love handles.”

 

“More Dean for me.” Cas smiled at him while Sam and Jessica chuckled.

 

Dean grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to his fingers. He turned back to the other Dean and asked, “So, would you guys mind if we took a pic of your little family, too?”

 

"Of course not." Sam pulled Jessica from the couch and waved Dean's doppelgänger towards him, looping his arm over his shoulder. The other Dean held Castiel's hand in his and smiled brightly, the Christmas tree glowing behind them. It was perfect.

 

“Say cheese,” Dean said as he snapped the picture, but not before the other Castiel squinted his eyes at him, looking thoroughly confused. Dean stared at the picture for a moment before pocketing his phone. “Thanks for letting us intrude. It was great to see you doing so well.”

 

The other Dean hugged him again. “Thank you. For everything.” He chuckled when he drew back, looking incredibly happy. “Merry Christmas.”

 

“Take care of each other,” Dean said as he grabbed his Cas’s hand and slung his free arm over Jack’s shoulder. Before anyone could respond, the world around them disappeared. He really needed to talk to Jack about his damn timing.

 


	4. Happy X-mas (War is Over)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, of course, because this dimension had the longest timestamp, this chapter is also the longest chapter. LOL.

**Chapter 4**

 

Again, as the world around them slowly came into focus, Dean’s jaw dropped when he saw the human compound he’d left the other Cas. He could have sworn the place had tripled in size, with way more reinforcements. But what caught his eye faster than anything else was the fact that there were flowers growing all around. The whole world looked… healed somehow.

 

Dean shook his head in confusion and turned to Jack. “When I left this place, it looked like something out of a Mad Max movie.”

 

"The war is over," Jack stated with a soft smile.

 

Cas looked a little uncomfortable, taking in the world around him with a scrunched up nose. "You said it looked worse when you were here?"

 

“Way worse. Like… I mean, imagine what it would look like if Lucifer had succeeded in our world. That’s what it was.” 

 

“I don’t want to imagine that,” Cas answered lowly with a frown. “I can’t believe you went through a world like this to save me.”

 

Dean chuckled and cupped Cas’s face. “Babe, I would’ve faced a world full of giant spiders to save you.”

 

Cas's expression softened and he leaned forward for a quick kiss, taking his hand in his before he looked at the structure. "So, what is this?"

 

“This was a human compound that was kind of like a sanctuary, I guess. It’s where I convinced the other you to kinda try–”

 

“Dean!” He was interrupted by Cas’s doppelgänger landing heavily in front of him and out of nowhere. “You’re back!” The other Castiel looked at Cas with wide eyes. “And you saved your Cas!”

 

Dean blinked a few times as he processed everything. Cas looked way better than when he’d left him. With a light and life in his eyes that rivaled his own Cas’s. “You look like you’re doing great!” Dean exclaimed as he yanked the other Cas into a hug.

 

The other Cas hugged him tightly before he leaned back and smiled at him. “I am. So much happened after you left… You won’t believe it, but I found my Dean!”

 

Before Dean could even ask, the guy’s ears must’ve been burning as the other Dean opened the gate. “Cas? Everything o…” He stopped short when his eyes landed on Dean. The guy almost looked green in the gills.

 

While Dean had now become accustomed to seeing other versions of himself, this guy probably never had. When the other Dean’s eyes trailed downwards to his and the other Cas’s closeness, the shock and surprise turned into something else.

 

Dean let go of Cas and approached him. “I’m guessin’ you know who I am,” he said with a chuckle as he held his hand out to the other Dean. 

 

The proffered hand shake wasn’t taken, instead the other Dean just looked around, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Jack, before his jaw dropped at seeing another Cas. “The hell is goin’ on?”

 

"We're visiting the different universes Dean visited to see how our counterparts are doing,” Cas replied calmly. “From what Dean has told me, a lot has changed here.”

 

“I… what?” the other Dean asked, looking to his own Cas for clarification.

 

"This is the Dean I told you about. The one that travelled through the different universes to save his Castiel." The other Castiel looked at Cas with a smile. "And he obviously succeeded."

 

Dean smiled and nodded. “What happened here? Jack said the war is over?” That’s when he appeared to remember the fact that Jack was with them. He grabbed the kid by the elbow and pulled him forward. “Cas, other me; this is Jack. He’s the one that helped me bring back my Cas. Our pain in the ass kid.”

 

Cas elbowed him and shook his head disapprovingly. Jack didn’t seem to mind though. He was still smiling like Buddy the friggin’ elf. 

 

“You have a son?” the other Castiel asked in surprise before he squinted his eyes at him. “Is he a nephilim?”

 

Before Dean could respond, they were interrupted by a soft, timid voice saying, “Daddy?” It was a little boy, probably no older than eight.

 

The other Castiel turned around and lifted the boy into his arms, kissing his cheek. "We should go inside. You can meet our children. This is Tommy. Tommy, this is Castiel, Dean, and Jack. They are from another universe."

 

Tommy frowned and tilted his head. "He looks just like you."

 

“Yeah, buddy,” Dean said as he smiled at the kid. “He’s another version of your dad.” 

 

The boy looked between Dean and the other Dean, before his gaze settled back on Dean. "You look a little bit like my Dad, too."

 

Dean nodded. “Yup. I’m another version of him. And this guy here is Jack. He’s our kid.”

 

Tommy waved at Jack. “My big brother Chris is as tall as you.”

 

“I would very much like to meet him,” Jack told him before he pulled a Snickers bar from his pocket and handed it to Tommy. "This is for you."

 

Tommy shook his head in apparent confusion. “What is it?”

 

The other Dean’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that a candy bar?”

 

For the first time, Jack looked hesitant. "Um, yes?"

 

“What’s a candy bar, Dad?” Tommy asked. Which,  _ of course  _ he asked. If this kid lived his entire life in an apocalyptic world, there was no way he would have known what candy was.

 

“It’s…” the other Dean seemed to try to find the right words, finally settling for, “It’s the friggin’ best. You should go find your sister and share it with her.”

 

Jack tilted his head. "He doesn't need to. I can get more. How many children are there here?"

 

The other Cas touched Jack's shoulder. "We have five children and six teenagers. Can you just get candy or could you also get us other things?"

 

"I could get whatever you want," Jack told him with a proud smile.

 

"I have a list of things that we really need," Cas replied hopefully.

 

Jack turned to Dean with a questioning look. “Is it okay if I leave you two here for a while to get them things?”

 

Dean smiled at him and nodded. He turned to the other Cas and said, “If you guys don’t mind us intruding?”

 

"Of course not. You are always welcome here. Sarah will be happy to see you again, too. And I can't wait for you to meet our children."

 

As they started walking into the compound, Cas was a little ahead of them, probably asking the other Dean a ridiculous amount of questions, if the guy’s body language was any indication. He couldn’t help but chuckle. Dean turned to the other Cas and smiled. “You look good.”

 

The other Cas gave him a soft smile, his gaze wandering over the other Dean. "I'm very happy."

 

“I can tell. He doesn’t seem to like me very much,” Dean teased.

 

The angel's smile widened. "He's jealous. I was still not over you when I met him."

 

That took Dean aback. While it was clear this Cas had a crush on him, it sounded like… “Were you in love with me?”

 

The other Castiel rubbed the back of his neck. "I know we didn't have much time together, but you made quite the impression on me. For a very long time I hoped you would come back to me. And then I met him."

 

Dean smiled. “I was worried about you. I’m really glad I didn’t need to be.”

 

“The Citadel took me in and they are my family now. It wasn’t easy, especially in the beginning. And it definitely wasn’t easy with Dean. He grew up in this world. He hated angels when we met. It took us a while to get where we are today.”

 

“He’s treatin’ you right?” Dean asked. Apparently, Dean was defensive of every version of Cas, even when it came to a version of himself. And considering that one fucked up dimension… he felt he was pretty righteous in that fact.

 

The other Castiel smiled at him and nodded. "Yes. He is a little different from you. More rough around the edges. I love him very much.”

 

Dean chuckled. “Good. And you guys got kids, huh? Were they his or…”

 

The angel shook his head. “No, they’re mine. Well, not in a biological sense. I rescued them before I even met you and had brought them to the compound. Before I met you, I thought I would never see them again. But they were still here and healthy and they wanted me back in their lives.”

 

No wonder he’d been so fucking terrified of coming back to this place. Dean smiled at him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m really fucking happy for you, Cas.”

 

"Hey, take your hands off my angel!" the other Dean shouted at him, glaring at him as they stopped at the gate. Cas didn't look too happy either.

 

The immature part of Dean wanted to get closer to the other Cas, just to piss his clone off. But the last thing he wanted was to cause any problems, or end up in the dog house with his own angel. Dean withdrew his hand and held both of them up in a surrendering gesture. “My bad. He looks like my boyfriend, so…”

 

His doppelgänger flipped him off. "I don't care if Cas likes you. If you touch him again, I'll punch you."

 

Dean barked out a laugh. “I see what you mean about, ‘rough around the edges’.”

 

The other Cas looked like he was blushing. "I kind of like that he is so possessive. He is very dominant when we have sex."

 

Dean coughed as he shook his head in amazement. “No version of you has a filter, do you?”

 

The other Cas tilted his head. "I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable. I thought since you and your Castiel seem to have a similar relationship, it would be okay to say that."

 

“It’s totally fine. I mean, it’s not like I don’t know what kinks Cas has…” Dean chuckled and shrugged. 

 

The other Cas raised an eyebrow. “Are we very similar?”

 

“Well, you and I never had sex, so I can’t really say.”

 

Cas chuckled and shook his head. “I meant character wise.”

 

“Oh!” Dean exclaimed a little sheepishly, “I feel like you are. The brief time I spent with you, I felt the same kinda connection. Like, you’re definitely more like how he was before he spent almost ten years trying to blend in with humanity.”

 

The other Castiel looked over to Cas and nodded. “He walks differently… but that might be because his wings are badly damaged. Dean healed mine, maybe we could help you out like Jack has agreed to help us.”

 

“Wait, what?” Dean shook his head in amazement. “You can heal Cas’s wings?”

 

“It’s worth a try, but Dean is the expert on magic. We should ask him.” They went through the gate where Sarah was already standing, waiting to greet them with a smile. A little girl ran up to Cas and stopped abruptly as she noticed there were two of them.

 

Dean knelt down to her eye level and smiled. “Hi, cutie. What’s your name?”

 

“Kiera. You look like Dad. It’s weird.”

 

The other Cas scooped her up in his arms. “This is the other Dean I told you about. He and his Castiel are visiting us from another universe.”

 

He nodded towards Sarah, who approached and pulled Dean in for a hug. “You’re back for a visit? Should we turn our place into a spa and sell tickets?”

 

“I mean, is there a free massage in it for me?” Dean asked as he chucked her chin. He shook his head in admiration as he looked around. “This place has changed so much.”

 

“First of all, Cas trades in massage coupons and second, you missed a lot of action in the past few months. The war is over and we’ve met new people.”

 

The other Cas smiled and added, “You must meet my best friends Charlie and Kyle… Oh, and my son Chris. Kiera, do you know where Chris is?”

 

“He is in the greenhouse,” she answered dutifully. “Who is the boy who looks like a prince?” She pointed at Jack, who was standing beside Cas, listening attentively as he explained something about the trees.

 

Dean smiled and said, “That’s mine and Cas’s son. His name is Jack. You wanna meet him?”

 

Kiera giggled and hid her face behind her hand. Her words sounded muffled as she said, “He looks so-o-o-o-o handsome.”

 

_ Well, that was just precious.  _ Dean chuckled and held his hand out for her to take. “Come on. Let’s go say hi.”

 

Kiera slid down from the other Castiel’s arms before she took Dean’s hand. With her free hand she tried to straighten her dress. “Do I look like a princess?”

 

“I thought you were? You seem like a princess to me.” Dean winked at her and guided her towards Jack. When he drew close enough, Dean greeted him with a bow and said, “Prince Jack. May I introduce you to Princess Kiera?”

 

Jack looked confused until Cas touched his shoulder and nodded. He smiled and bowed before he reached out to gently press a kiss to the back of her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Princess Kiera.”

 

Kiera giggled and looked away for a moment before she asked, “Do you want to see my hair salon?”

 

“I’d love to,” Jack said with a nod. 

 

The other Castiel smiled at Jack. “I’ll find you later with that list. Have fun.”

 

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle at the pretty engaged look Jack was giving the fiery little girl as she appeared to ramble a mile a minute about something, practically dragging Jack inside of the warehouse. He turned to his Cas and smiled. “You see a theme, right?”

 

“That cute princesses have a weakness for angels?” Cas asked with a head tilt.

 

Dean barked out a laugh and nodded. Cas wasn’t even close, but he liked his answer better. “Exactly.”

 

“Holy shit, Red. You were right!” A guy suddenly announced behind them. 

 

When Dean turned around, he pretty much forgot how to breathe. Next to a tall and broad shouldered man was Charlie. He swallowed dryly against the lump that had formed in his throat. “Ch –Charlie?”

 

Charlie’s eyes widened before she grinned. “Oh-Em-Gee! Alt-Dean knows my name!”

 

Dean approached her, knowing full well how creepy he was about to come off, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Can I hug you?”

 

Charlie gave him a fleetingly pained smile, which showed him that she recognized the loss in Dean’s eyes before her smile brightened and she nodded. Charlie opened her arms and said, “Of course, big guy. Go ahead.”

 

_ Goddamnit, Winchester, don’t you fucking cry.  _ Dean closed the gap between them, pulling her into a full on spin-hug, before gently planting her feet back on the ground. “Thank you. I can’t tell you what this means,” he whispered.

 

“Can I have one, too?” Cas asked quietly when he appeared next to him.

 

Charlie smiled at Cas and pulled him in for another tight hug. Dean could see that Cas was equally touched by the moment, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. 

 

When Charlie drew back she looked at them. “Your Charlie must have been pretty badass for you to miss her like that.”

 

Dean nodded and drew back, chewing the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions in check. “You have no idea. Crazy chick went to Oz on a whim.”

 

“Kind of crazy that we’re all together in a different world, too, huh?” she stated with a smile. “It’s a comforting thought that all our lives are connected somehow, that we even met in different universes.”

 

Cas gently grasped Dean’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “I’ve already visited three universes where Dean and I are a couple.”

 

Someone sighed deeply behind them. “So much for my hopes that this version of Castiel was single.” 

 

Charlie laughed and patted the huge man on his back. “Kyle… I'm sorry.”

 

Cas leaned over to Dean with a frown. “He looks familiar, but I can't place him.”

 

“I'm Kyle,” the huge guy greeted Cas as he offered his hand and winked at him.

 

Dean suddenly wasn’t as annoyed with his doppelgänger for getting so snippy earlier. The urge to possessively draw Cas closer was a little overwhelming. Not to mention, Cas was right. Dude totally looked familiar, he just couldn’t place him. “Uh, hey,” Dean greeted the behemoth. 

 

The guy grabbed his hand and shook it with a bone crushing grip. “ And you're the famous Dean our Cas pined for for so long.”

 

He could practically feel Cas tensing up next to him.

 

“Yeah?” Dean answered in response, not really sure how to take Cas’s reaction. He’d never really seemed the jealous type before.

 

“Well, the Citadel owes you for bringing him here. We couldn't have made it without him.” Kyle’s smile grew wider when the other Castiel joined them.

 

The angel leaned close to Kyle and asked, “Do you have the requisition list on you?”

 

Kyle pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “Sure.” He handed it to the angel. “A few things are going to be hard to come by.”

 

The other Castiel nodded and pocketed the list. “We might have found a solution for that.” He turned to Dean and Cas. “Let me show you around. You can meet Chris and I can give this to Jack.”

 

Dean nodded and gently grasped his Cas’s hand. “So, how did the war end?” he asked as they started following the other Cas into the warehouse.

 

“Michael had trapped Lucifer and every angel was called for a final assault. I went too, even though it meant that I would have been forced to return to Heaven after the attack. But I wanted my children to grow up in a better world, so I went. I survived the war, Lucifer was defeated and every angel, including myself, returned to Heaven. And then… Father came back. Since I had protected humanity, I was allowed to return and take two souls that died in the war with me. I chose Sam and Kyle’s daughter.”

 

Dean was stunned, not only by the entire story, but mostly over the fact Sam had died in this world. He didn’t even want to imagine. He smiled at the other Cas. “I’m so happy things all worked out for you.”

 

“It's humbling to think that a simple decision at the right time has led to all of this. You stumbling into this dimension, convincing me to protect these humans… it all led to this. I'm very grateful.” The other Cas smiled at him for a moment before he looked confused and turned to Cas. When Dean turned to him, he noticed Cas’s face was expressionless, but there was obviously a silent conversation going on between them.

 

The other Cas cleared his throat before he walked towards Cas, waving his Dean over. “My Dean healed my wings.” He turned to the other Dean with an expectant look. “Can you help him, too?”

 

“Were your flight feathers carved out with angelic weapons?” his doppelgänger asked without missing a beat.

 

Dean couldn’t help but cast a sympathetic look in the other Cas’s direction. He wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, but even Dean knew that specific line of questioning was clearly drawn from an actual example.

 

Cas looked very uncomfortable. “No. They are in an endless cycle of burning to ash because my grace isn't strong enough to sustain them. My grace was damaged through a powerful spell.”

 

The other Castiel looked like he was going to be sick.

 

On the other hand, his doppelgänger had an unreadable expression on his face. “Well, if your Dean is willing to tie his soul to your grace, he can give you a power boost whenever you need. Would that stabilize your grace enough to heal them?”

 

Cas frowned, his voice sounded a little off when he answered, “It doesn’t matter. I'm used to not having wings.”

 

The other Cas stared at him in disbelief. “And what about the pain?”

 

“It’s manageable,” Cas replied dryly.

 

Dean didn’t expect the other Cas to suddenly get angry as he yelled, “You can fool them, but you can not lie to me! I  _ am  _ you. What are so afraid o–” The other Cas stopped abruptly before he breathed out a soft, “Oh.”

 

Cas’s lips were pressed to a thin line before he growled, ”You are not me. You don't know me at all. So I would appreciate if you would keep out of it.”

 

Dean turned to his doppelgänger and said, “I’ll do it. What do I need to do?”

 

For the first time, the other Dean smiled at him. “Let me grab my tattoo kit.”

 

“No!” Cas exclaimed, effectively stopping him. “You will absolutely  _ not  _ bind your soul to me, Dean.”

 

“And why the hell not?” Dean challenged as he narrowed his eyes at Cas. Then it hit him.  _ Shit.  _ “Unless... you don’t  _ want _ to be bound to me…” Damn, that realization was a bitch.

 

“Of course I don't want to be bound to you. A bond to an angel is for eternity and it can't even break when you die.” Cas turned to the other Castiel, glaring at him as he spat, “You’re selfish and you know it.”

 

Cas turned around and walked back towards gate, looking incredibly pissed.

 

Dean charged after him, grabbing him by the elbow to turn him around. “Hey! You need to fucking cool it. Just because you don’t want to be stuck with me for eternity doesn’t mean you get to take it out on others!”

 

Cas stared at him like he had lost his damn mind. “Dean. You were the one that called us Team Free Will. You were furious when you found out that your parents didn’t fall in love on their own, but were shoved together by Heaven’s meddling. I love you... and I don't want to take away your choice to be able to leave me again. And I certainly don't want to risk you getting stuck wherever I go when I die because you were bonded to me. My wings aren't worth it.”

 

“I don’t know about you, but getting to spend the rest of my existence with you pretty much sounds like Heaven to me.” Dean let out a mirthless laugh and shook his head. “You’re the one who doesn’t want it. And that’s fine. We can… we can talk about that shit later. But you need to lay off Castiel.”

 

Cas rubbed over his own arm with a frown. “He irritates me.”

 

“Well, I like him. So shut up and play nice until we leave.” It was weird how much the pain he was feeling was almost numbing. Like he needed to shut off. To shut down. Dean suddenly wanted nothing more than to go home and get in Baby. Maybe take her on a small road trip. Maybe find a case.

 

Cas sighed deeply before he looked over at them. “Why don’t you go back and catch up with him? I’ll look around. Speak to Charlie and use the time to… cool down.”

 

“Right. Fine,” Dean clipped and went back towards a very concerned looking Castiel, and marginally less concerned looking clone.

 

His clone whispered something to his Castiel before he disappeared into the warehouse with a wave in Dean’s direction, effectively leaving them alone. “I’m sorry, Dean. I didn’t want to cause a fight between the two of you.”

 

Dean shook his head. “You didn’t do anything.”

 

“He is right though with one thing. I don’t know him.” They walked to a bench with a tree behind it. It was full of different bird nests and there was a constant flutter of wings and chirping.

 

“I was a soldier on the battlefield for a long time before I met you. A lot of angels were hurt, their wings were shredded in battle. And a lot of them refused healing. It’s more common than you think, although any injury to our wings is painful, they just wouldn’t do it. They wouldn’t let any medic near them, fought them off with all they had.”

 

“Why?” Dean asked as he sat down on the bench.

 

The other Cas gave him a thoughtful look. “The most important thing to an angel is his duty, his mission. If an angel keeps failing at it, they are prone to an intense guilt that leads to self destructive behavior. I don’t know your Castiel, but I have seen angels that were broken by guilt. I think he’ll keep you from healing his wings with everything he has because he needs them to be broken. He thinks he deserve it.” The angel shook his head, a sad expression shadowing his features. “He’s right that I’m selfish, but he would be too if his guilt wasn’t holding him back.”

 

“So, it’s not that he doesn’t want to be bound to me, he just doesn’t want his wings healed?” Dean asked.

 

The other Cas nodded. “I'm sure he would use any excuse not to get healed. He might not even be doing it consciously.”

 

“I’ve gotta go talk to him,” Dean said as he got up. He looked around, trying to figure out where his Cas went.

 

“He went to the greenhouse. I'll go check on Jack.” The other Cas stood up and took in a deep breath. “I hope you can help him. It’s considered a sickness with our kind. On the battlefield, those angels were often put down by Rit Zien… our medics.”

 

Dean nodded. “Well, you guys never had to come up against a pig headed human regarding your wings.” He smiled at the other Cas and went in the direction of the greenhouse.

 

When Dean opened the door, he saw Cas near some sort of flowery bush, hunched over, probably looking for bees or something. Dean approached Cas, stopping about a foot away before he finally spoke, “You’re the selfish one.”

 

Cas froze before he stood up straight to look at Dean. “Excuse me?”

 

“Castiel told me  _ why  _ you don’t want to be bonded to me. It’s fucking purgatory all over again isn’t it? Some fucked up penance you think you need to pay.” Dean stared at him expectantly, like he was challenging Cas to argue with him.

 

Cas’s voice dropped to below zero, “How very insightful of this Castiel. Not that it matters, because it's none of his business.”

 

“So, that’s it? You’d rather make me think you don’t want to spend eternity with me, essentially the equivalent of saying no to marrying me, all because you feel you don’t deserve to have your wings back?”

 

Cas paled at that. “What? No! Of course I want to spend eternity with you. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise. I love you and nothing would make me happier. But I don't want a magic bond. You had one with Amara, remember? How it made you feel like you didn’t have a choice in wanting to be close to her. I want you to be with me because you want it, not because you  _ have  _ to. My wings just aren't worth the risk.”

 

Dean sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t like being bonded to Amara because I didn’t get a choice in it. I  _ want  _ to be with you, bonded with you. It’s not even close to being the same thing. And it’s not to just heal your wings. You’ve been seeing what I went through to just bring you back to me. Why wouldn’t I want the chance to literally spend eternity with you?”

 

“Because I’m not good enough!” Cas yelled, seemingly as shocked about the words he said as much as the outburst itself. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he quietly added, “I'm not. I can't do anything right and when I try, I only make things worse. I will only disappoint you.”

 

“Don’t I get a say?” Dean challenged as he folded his arms over his chest. “And that’s one of the things I love about you. That you  _ aren’t _ perfect.”

 

Cas shook his head and looked down. “I'm afraid I’ll lose you. I'm afraid you will end up hating me. I'm afraid I’ll do something you won't forgive.”

 

Dean drew closer and grabbed Cas’s hand. “Look, I’m not gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I’m not that guy. But if what’s holding you back is a ‘what if’ that probably won’t happen, then you’re gonna have to come up with a different excuse. Because you’re it for me, Cas. I don’t know a lot, but if I know one thing, it’s that you’re my one, my penguin, lobster, whatever you wanna call it. And there’s nothing you could do that will make me stop thinking that.”

 

“Lobster?” Cas chuckled sadly. He squeezed his hand, wiping a tear away with the back of his free hand. “Okay,” he finally whispered, taking in a shuddered breath. “I'll do it. But don't complain when the place we land after death is dreadful.”

 

Dean cupped his face and said, “I don’t give a rat’s ass where we end up. If I’m with you? I’m good.”

 

Cas looked up at Dean, disbelief and sorrow in his eyes before he stepped closer and kissed him. 

 

“Ugh, Dad. Seriously?” A teenager grunted behind them. When Dean turned around, the young man frowned. “You look weird, Dean.”

 

“I’m guessing you’re Chris?” Dean asked with a chuckle. “Everyone’s looking for you.”

 

The teen gave him a pointed look. “If this is a joke, it’s a bad one, Dad.”

 

“Did your dad never tell you about me?” Dean asked as he gently grabbed his Cas’s hand and drew closer. “I’m the Dean from the other universe. This is  _ my  _ Cas. That’s kinda why everyone’s lookin’ for you. To introduce you to us, I guess.”

 

Chris’s eyes widened before he said, “Oh. You’re him. Um, hi! I’m Chris.” He reached out his hand. 

 

Dean shook it and smiled. “Good to meet you, kid. I’m sure this is weird for you. Oh, and our son Jack wants to meet you. I think he’s with your dad.”

 

Chris dismissively waved a hand at them. “Normal is weird for me, I’m used to freaky stuff. My Dad’s an angel and my other Dad can do magic.” He turned to the door and opened it. “Don’t have sex on the tomatoes please.” 

 

“We, uh… we won’t?” Dean offered, brow furrowed in bemusement. Did that happen enough times to warrant such a specific request? The kid wasn’t foolin’ around when he said he was used to freaky shit.

 

“Good.” Chris grinned. “You seem to be as gross as my parents with that stuff.” He closed the greenhouse door behind him, leaving them alone again.

 

Dean chuckled and turned back to Cas. He’d been exceedingly quiet through that entire exchange. “Penny for your thoughts?”

 

To his surprise, Cas smiled softly. “This is the third universe we’ve visited where our counterparts are a couple.”

 

“Kinda crazy, right? I wonder what that means.”

 

“I don’t know what it means, but I like it.” Cas squeezed his hand and looked down. “I’m sorry I wasn’t nice to the other Castiel. He makes me feel even more of a failure than I already am. He kind of represents everything I always wanted to be. I guess I’m just jealous.”

 

Dean shook his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

“He rebelled against Heaven to fight for Humanity, but in the end he regained his honor and was rewarded by Father. He is respected and loved everywhere and he doesn’t appear to have done anything wrong.” Cas sighed and shook his head. “I know it’s stupid to be jealous, but it’s hard for me. Everytime I’ve met another angel, they are either afraid of me or hate me. They were my family once. I was respected once. And now I’m on the same level as Lucifer as far as they’re concerned.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “You know the first time I met Lucifer, he warned me that this would happen. He was right.”

 

_ Damn.  _ Dean had never really thought of that. It was true that Cas was kinda the new pariah, the new Lucifer. At least as far as Heaven was concerned. Dean held Cas’s hand and nodded his understanding. “This Cas was exiled, too. Abandoned. And it seems like when it came time for the final fight, your ‘brothers’ wanted an all hands on deck deal. You and he aren’t much different, Cas. We just happened to stop all the world ending shit before you got your chance. That’s all.”

 

“World endings I was responsible for at least three times. You killed vampires for killing less innocent victims.” He looked away before he let go of Dean’s hand. “I’m sorry. I… I’ll try to move forward and do my best. But having this ‘perfect’ other Castiel in front of me… it’s difficult.”

 

Dean gently grasped Cas’s chin to draw his attention back to him. “Killing vamps for feeding and killing humans for food is not on the same level as an angel that was tricked, that had the best of intentions that got away from him.” He took a deep breath and gave him a pointed look. “I killed a lot of innocent people when I was a demon. None of us are innocent, Cas. But deep down, at the heart of it all, we’ve grown, we’ve learned, and we’re trying. Don’t we at least deserve a chance to make up for the bad shit we’ve done?”

 

“It’s the hope that keeps me going and trying. I want to believe I can do better.” Cas nudged his face against Dean’s hand as he smiled sadly at him. “And now with you at my side, I’m less afraid to try.”

 

“And we can’t keep comparing ourselves to versions of us that got it right. Hell, in one of the dimensions, none of the bad shit happened, ‘cause you and I got together early on. You and me, we did the best we could. I  _ have  _ to believe that because, damnit… I’m done not keeping a little piece of happiness for myself. And you’re that happiness.” Dean had never meant anything more in his life.

 

Cas’s breathing hitched before he gave Dean a shy smile. “I’ll try to not compare myself to the next version we’re going to meet,” he murmured before he grinned at the tomatoes. “Do you want to have sex on the tomatoes, or should we join the others?”

 

Dean barked out a laugh. “Not gonna lie, I kinda want to have sex on the tomatoes. But considering the greenhouse door doesn’t lock, we should probably go join them.”

 

Cas chuckled and nodded. “I also want to see if our son is still in one piece.”

 

“I’m pretty sure Kiera will protect him.” Dean winked as he held his hand and started walking to the door.

 

“They really have cute children,” Cas said as he squeezed Dean’s hand. The, “not as cool as ours,” went unspoken.

 

Dean smirked and nodded. “So… You wanna do this bonding thing? I mean, I’m sure it’s not the most romantic proposal, but… we aren’t the most romantic of people. But whaddya say? I’ll respect if you don’t want to, whatever the reason.”

 

Cas sighed deeply before he gave Dean a long and serious look. “Have you really thought this through? It's not like a human marriage. You would be stuck with me. I don't want you to do it for the wrong reasons.”

 

“Look, I told you. You’re it for me. And I like the idea that we’ll still get to be together even in death. I love you, Cas. That’s the main reason I want to do it. Hopefully that isn’t the wrong reason.”

 

Cas gave him a shy smile. “That is the only reason I would have accepted.” He squeezed his hand. “Okay, then my answer is yes.”

 

Dean smiled and drew him in for a kiss. “I almost feel bad Mom and Sam aren’t here to see it happen.”

 

“We could still have a human wedding on top of it later?” Cas asked with a soft smile playing around his lips.

 

“Vegas it is!” Dean said as he clapped his hands. 

 

Cas chuckled as they left the greenhouse, walking to the main building where they met Charlie and Kyle again. “Have you two seen your Castiel?”

 

Charlie nodded. “He’s at Kiera’s hair salon with your son. I’ll show you.” 

 

They followed Charlie through the warehouse to a large common room. Dean had to hold back a laugh when the sight that met them was Jack sitting in an absurdly small chair while Kiera was messing up his hair, making it look just like Cas’s.

 

Dean smirked at Cas and asked, “You sure he’s not your biological kid?”

 

Cas’s tone dripped with sarcasm as he returned, “Yes, I’m his mother. Didn’t I tell you I was pregnant with your child?”

 

“I thought you got kinda chubby,” Dean sassed. 

 

“All the more to love,” Cas sassed back. He tilted his head as he looked at Jack. “Do you have glitter in your hair?”

 

Jack smiled and nodded. “Kiera said it would make me more handsome.”

 

Cas raised his eyebrow and gave Dean a questioning look before he turned back to Jack. “Yeah, you look very… interesting.”

 

“Handsome,” Kiera corrected with a concentrated frown as she sprinkled more gold glitter into Jack’s hair, murmuring, “like a Christmas tree from the movies.”

 

Dean shook his head and chuckled, turning to the other Castiel. “Where’s your Dean? I’m ready to do this whole bonding thing.”

 

The other Castiel’s eyes widened before he smiled at Dean. “He will be right back, he just wanted to talk with Bobby about the food tonight.” It was obvious that he avoided looking at Cas.

 

“Bobby Singer?” Dean asked, slightly embarrassed at the hopeful and slightly cracked tremble in his voice.

 

“Yes. You know him?” the other Castiel asked in surprise.

 

Dean and Cas shared another knowing look. It almost didn’t seem fair that all the people they lost in their world were alive in a fucked up, apocalyptic world. Not that they’d say that out loud. With a small nod, Dean finally said, “Yeah. He was kind of a huge father figure for me and Sammy.”

 

The other Castiel smiled at him. “He joined us a few months ago with his group. I’m sure you want to me–”

 

He was interrupted by Dean and Bobby coming in. “Speak of the devil.” The other Cas smirked.

 

Bobby pretty much looked the same in this universe, too. Dean swallowed against the lump in his throat. Damn, he really missed Bobby. When the two of them drew closer, Dean must have been staring for too long, or too intensely, considering the bemused eyebrow quirk he received from the older man.

 

“This version of you a little slow?” Bobby asked the other Dean.

 

To which he replied with a shrug. “Probably.”

 

“Hey!” Dean called out in feigned offense. “No need to be a dick.”

 

“It’s strange for us to see you. In our world, Bobby was like a father. We miss him dearly,” Cas explained to him before he smiled. “It’s nice to see that we meet our loved ones in other universes, too.”

 

Bobby’s expression softened a little as he nodded his understanding. “It’s nice to know. So, what am I like in your world?”

 

Dean sighed and looked down as he said, “He was the best man I’ve ever known.”

 

Cas squeezed Dean’s shoulder before he walked over to his doppelgänger and murmured, “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

 

As the two angels stepped out of the room, Dean turned to his own doppelgänger and said, “So, uh… we’ve agreed to do the bond thing, if you want to get started?”

 

Jack suddenly stood up. “You two are getting bonded?”

 

Dean nodded. “Yeah. It might be able to heal your Dad’s wings.”

 

Jack smiled sweetly. “Really? He never talks about them, but I’m sure he will be happy to use them again. They look… painful.”

 

The other Dean nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket before handing it to Jack. “Cas told me to give you this list.”

 

Jack read over it and nodded with a smile before he looked at Dean. “Is it okay if I go now, Father? I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

 

“Sure, kid. Be safe.” Not that Jack needed protection from anything, but weirdly enough, Dean found he would still worry. 

 

Jack kissed the back of Kiera’s hand with a little bow and smiled at her. “Thank you for doing my hair, Princess Kiera. I will be back soon.”

 

With that he was gone and Kiera grinned up at her own Dean. “He has pretty wings.”

 

Dean furrowed his brow at her in confusion. “You can see his wings?”

 

Kiera looked up at Dean with a frown. “You can’t?”

 

“No, baby. We can only see the shadows of angel wings in my world.” Dean turned to the other Dean and asked, “Is that a thing here?”

 

The other Dean shook his head. “Kiera is special that way. We didn’t figure it out until she pointed out that Cas’s feathers were a mess and she wanted to comb through them to make them orderly again. I mean, I can see his wings when he shows them to me, but she can see them all the time.”

 

Dean had never heard of such a thing. He carefully pulled his clone out of earshot as he asked, “Do you guys think she might have been an angel that chose to fall?”

 

Dean shook his head, looking a little sad. “When Cas found them the first time, she was gravely injured. He told me that he saved her from the brink of death. It doesn’t happen often, but he thinks that’s why she can see angel wings.”

 

When he looked back at Kiera, happily chatting away to a doll she had started doing the hair of, he shook his head in amazement. The resiliency of children was amazing. Dean couldn’t help but smile. “Well, let’s make sure the next time she sees my Cas’s wings, they look as powerful and beautiful as he is.”

 

Dean snickered and patted his shoulder. “Didn’t know another version of me could be a romantic sap.” 

 

“What can I say? Cas brings out the worst in me,” he said with a wink. 

 

The other Dean gave him a smirk. “Don’t I know it. Come on, let’s get you inked.”

 

Dean followed his doppelgänger out of the common room and down the main hallway. Just as they were about to hook a left down a set of stairs, a weirdly familiar voice called out, “Please tell me Castiel didn’t clone you.”

 

He and the other Dean whipped around at the same time and Dean thought his heart had stopped beating for a moment. “Lisa?”  _ What the hell?  _ How was  _ everyone  _ here? Next they were gonna run into Kevin or something.

 

The other Dean gave him an equally surprised look. “You know her, too?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Quite well.”

 

That was met with a half smirk as she approached. “Does this mean I get to have this one?”

 

“Well, he’s about to get hitched forever to another Cas so…” The other Dean shrugged.

 

“Seriously? Does that angel have a golden dick or something?”

 

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. Apparently, apocalypse Lisa was way more of a straight shooter than her counterpart in his world. He chuckled and said, “Actually…”

 

Lisa scoffed, but it was in amusement before she raised her eyebrow at the other Dean. “We don’t fit anyway. You like them obedient and I’m more dominant than you can handle.”

 

That took him aback as well. He looked at his counterpart with an impressed eyebrow. “Huh. Something we don’t have in common.”

 

The other Dean chuckled. “I did not expect that.”

 

“What can I say? I like what I like.”

 

Lisa sighed and feigned a pout. “Well, now I’m sad he’s not up for grabs.”

 

“I thought you and William had a good thing going?” the other Dean asked with a grin. 

 

Lisa winked at him. “You should know.”

 

Dean looked at his doppelgänger with a bemused eyebrow raise.

 

Which was met with another smirk. “I swear, Dr. Sexy’s got nothing on us with the sexcapades that go on here.”

 

“I don’t even wanna know,” Dean said with a chuckle.

 

Lisa winked at him. “If you change your mind, sexy, come and find me.” She smiled at him before she turned and left them. 

 

The other Dean shook his head. “Can’t believe we shared the same ex and love. What a freaking coincidence.”

 

“Yeah, it’s kinda nice to know there are constants no matter the universe,” he said with a shrug as he followed Dean down a set of stairs and through another hallway. When they reached a particular door, the other Dean held it open for him.

 

It was a bedroom, pretty sparse other than some weapons, bottles of stuff, and a large mural of one of his favorite Zeppelin album covers. “Man, we really do have a lot in common.”

 

The other Dean looked uncomfortable for a moment before he murmured, “He actually made this room for you. He hoped you would come back.”

 

Dean had no idea what to say to that. It was touching in a way he didn’t expect, but clearly his clone had a lot of issues with that fact. It would probably be best to avoid that direction of conversation. He merely nodded and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You know he’s completely gone for you. I’m really not a threat.”

 

The other Dean shrugged. “Yeah, I know. But in the beginning it was hard to compete with a perfect and untouchable image of you. I know he’s mine now. And besides, you’ve got your own handsome angel.”

 

“I sure do. So, what do I gotta do for this whole bond thing?”

 

“Not much. I just basically give you a cool tattoo.” He lifted his shirt and pointed to a tattooed sigil. One of many that seemed to cover his body. “And that does all the magic.”

 

Dean furrowed his brow. “That’s it? It’s that simple?”

 

“Pretty awesome, right?”

 

“So, I could’ve just done it and never told him?”

 

The other Dean shook his head. “No, because to actually create the connection of the bond, you have to kiss. And when you do, his grace will connect to your soul. Generally, I think it feels like a tingling for them, angels… So, if he wasn’t expecting to already feel it, he would’ve known something was up.”

 

Dean chuckled. “Really? So I’m the Disney princess in this scenario?”

 

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the bottom in your relationship.” The other Dean chuckled and pointed to a chair in his room for Dean to sit down. “Damn, that’s still weird to imagine. It’s like our Castiels were made for us.”

 

“Got that right. And don’t knock bottoming ‘til you’ve tried it,” he teased. 

 

“Oh, I’ve tried it, alright. But I just prefer to be the top.” The other Dean got a far away look that quickly morphed into a knowing smirk. “And he loves to be my obedient little…” He cleared his throat and readied a needle and ink. “Kinky freaking angel, I tell you.”

 

Dean chuckled. “You’re tellin’ me. I didn’t know angels could be so kinky. We got Heaven and angels so wrong in the lore.”

 

The other Dean chuckled. “I’ll add that to my lore book. So where do you want your tattoo?”

 

He looked down at himself and realized he knew exactly where it needed to be. Dean pulled his shirt off and pointed to his left shoulder. “Here.”

 

The other Dean raised his eyebrow. “Any specific reason?”

 

Dean smiled. “It’s where he gripped me tight and raised me from perdition. One hell of a meet-cute, no pun intended.”

 

“You were in Hell?” The other Dean asked in surprise before he started outlining the sigil with a pen on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah. Sold my soul to bring my brother back when he died. Spent forty years there until Cas rescued me.”

 

“Damn, that’s fucked up,” he murmured in a tone that implied he sounded impressed.

 

Dean scoffed. “Understatement. I, uh… I’m the one that sort of started the apocalypse in my world.”

 

The other Dean stopped and leaned back to look at him with an unreadable expression. “What?”

 

“Not intentionally. I was the righteous man, and I… I caved on the rack. Not my best moment, but after being tortured for thirty years, when the dick who was doing the torturing offered for me to start torturing for the millionth time… I fucking caved. And shedding blood in Hell was the first seal to start the process of releasing Lucifer.” Dean sighed and shook his head. “Cas talks about not being good enough for me, but… he’s got it backwards.”

 

The other Dean was quietly finishing the sigil sketch, before he he murmured, “I’m in no position to judge. Getting tortured for thirty years, man. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. I guess no one can. All I know is that we both are lucky that Cas sees something in us. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to disappoint him. I want to be the man he deserves to be with.”

 

Dean smiled. It was good to know that whatever version of him existed, however different they were, the devotion to Castiel was a constant across the board. “Me, too,” he said as he offered his shoulder for the tattoo.

 

The other Dean grabbed the needle and dipped it into the inkwell as he started tattooing the sigil. He was about halfway done when the door opened and both of their Castiels came in. “Hey,” the other Castiel greeted them as he stood next to his Dean. “Just wanted to check in on you and tell you that your son is back.”

 

Cas smiled at Dean as he looked over the sigil with an almost giddy expression. “Jack brought a lot of things. Including a large, already decorated Christmas tree. He didn’t want to tell me where he got it from though.”

 

“Can’t really give him crap for it. We commit credit card fraud to pay for shit.” Dean held his hand out for Cas to take. “Everything okay?” 

 

“Yes.” Cas gave him a dazzling smile. He looked a lot more relaxed than before. “You should have seen all their faces upstairs. He brought food, candy, and toys for the kids. They are all very happy and wrapping up the gifts as we speak. Jack plans to make more trips to this dimension to help out. He thinks that would be what his mother wanted. To help make the world a better place.”

 

Dean smiled and pressed a kiss to Cas’s knuckles. “He’s a really good kid.”

 

“I know.” Cas knelt beside him and kissed his hand. “He might have found his calling.”

 

“Alright, you’re done,” the other Dean said as he took a step back to admire his work.

 

Dean looked down at the sigil on his shoulder before turning to Cas. “Apparently, to make it binding, we have to kiss. So, if you’ve changed your mind, you’ll have to never kiss me, ever again.”

 

Cas chuckled and looked away. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

 

In a swift movement, Dean stood up, pulling Cas with him and close. He cupped his cheek and shook his head slightly as he stared into unending blue depths. “Then you better kiss me.”

 

“I love you, Dean,” Cas murmured before he smiled at him and drew him in for a soft kiss that quickly turned more heated and breathtaking.

 

“Look at that. They’re as bad as we are.” The other Dean chuckled. “We’re a pretty hot couple, Cas.”

 

Dean winked at them both. He turned back to Cas and smiled. “Can you feel it?”

 

Cas looked at him in awe. “Yes… it feels like I was just hooked up to an atomic reactor.”

 

The other Cas stepped next to him, bracing his hand on Cas’s shoulder. “I know you’re not used to moving your wings anymore, but try directing the flow into them. Don’t be afraid.”

 

Cas took in a deep, slightly shuddered breath before he nodded. He looked afraid, his shoulders tense before he started to glow and gasped out in pain. He grabbed Dean’s hand hard and Dean could feel a tug inside of him. It didn’t hurt, it just made him want to be closer to Cas, to wrap his arms around him and hold him. 

 

And then the glowing stopped and Cas looked up at Dean with unshed tears. “It worked,” he breathed out.

 

Dean smiled and pulled him in for a hug. “Now we can get rid of your awful truck.”

 

Cas leaned back and gave him a shocked look. “But I like my truck.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

 

Cas grinned at him before he looked back over his own shoulder in awe. He wasn’t even hunching over anymore, instead he was standing tall and appeared more relaxed overall.

 

Had Cas really been in that much pain all this time without Dean knowing?

 

Dean cupped his cheek and smiled at him. “Come on. Show me what our kid did.”

 

The other Cas and the other Dean were already waiting for them at the door. Cas intertwined his hand with Dean’s. “You will be amazed. Kiera asked him if his last name was Frost or if he had befriended any flying, red-nosed reindeer.”

 

He couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that escaped. “I gotta know what he said in response.” 

 

Cas rolled his eyes. “What do you think his response was? Jack was confused, explained to her that his last name is Kline, and that he doesn’t think reindeer come with red noses.”

 

“Again, are you  _ sure  _ he’s not actually yours?” Dean asked in a chuckle as they made their way back into the common room. When the other Cas opened the door for them, Dean shook his head in amazement as he soaked in what he was seeing. 

 

It basically looked like Christmas had thrown up on everything and everyone. Every decoration imaginable littered the room, especially the chairs and tables. An absurdly large fir tree, tastefully decorated, was smack dab in the middle of the room. Several adults and children were laughing as they wrapped different presents and appeared to be generally having a good time. 

 

Jack came over to them with a wide grin before he looked at Cas with an awed expression. “Your wings are healed.”

 

Cas gave him a quick nod and Dean followed the line of Jack’s gaze behind Cas and into the room and up to the ceiling. Dean tried to not envy that fact he could see Cas’s wings. 

 

“Does this mean you can finally show me how to do time jumps?” Jack asked in an excited tone of voice.

 

Cas rubbed the back of his neck. “Let's discuss it when we get back. You still have a lot to learn before I teach you that.”

 

Jack nodded with an eager smile and pointed at the tree when he turned to Dean. “Pretty awesome, right?”

 

Dean nodded and smiled. “It really is. Did you decorate the tree, or did you steal it as is?”

 

Jack hesitated for a moment before he whispered, “I stole it from an angry, orange man living in a big, white house. I thought the tree was more needed here.”

 

Cas leaned over to Dean with a grin. “Are you sure he isn't yours?”

 

“You know, he  _ might  _ be…” Dean grabbed Jack by the forearm and pulled him in for a hug. “Proud of you, kid.”

 

Jack beamed up at him when they broke the hug. “I want to help them more often. It will take time for all the plants to grow back so they'll have enough food. So, I thought I could supply them with the things they need.”

 

Dean smiled at him and chucked his chin. “That’s a great idea.” He exchanged a look of pride with Cas. One that silently communicated:  _ That’s our kid. _

 

Cas nodded at Dean with an equally proud look before he snaked his arm around Dean’s waist and leaned his head against his shoulder. “Thank you for bringing us here, Jack.”

 

“Yeah, kid. I can’t tell you what it means.”

 

“You’re taking a picture of them, right? Of the other Dean and Cas’s family?” Jack asked.

 

Dean shrugged. “We could ask.” He pressed a kiss to Cas’s temple before making his way over to the other Cas. He was in the middle of a conversation with his Dean, but immediately stopped talking and smiled at Dean.

 

He returned the smile and asked, “I was wondering if you guys would mind if we took a pic of your family?”

 

The oher Cas gave him a broad smile. “Why would we mind?”

 

His Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. “If you must.” But there was an amused glint in his eyes. “Did you take pics of the others, too?”

 

“Yeah,” Dean said with a smile. “You wanna see what Cas looks like as a chick?” he asked as he pulled out his phone and opened his camera roll.

 

“Hell yeah,” The other Dean replied, which was met with an eye roll, not only from Cas, but also the other Cas.

 

He handed him the phone and smirked. “In the first dimension I visited, chick Cas and I were on the run ‘cause I knocked her up.”

 

“Son of a b– Is that what our kid would look like?” the other Dean breathed out, when the other Cas leaned over his shoulder to look, his eyes widened with an equally awed expression. Kiera, Tommy, and Chris came out of nowhere, demanding to see the baby, too.

 

“She is so cute.” Kiera beamed. “Is she like my sister from another world, Daddy?”

 

The other Dean nodded. “Yeah, Kiwi. And that’s what your Daddy would look like if he was a girl like you.”

 

“Woah,” Kiera mumbled. “You look like a princess, Daddy.”

 

Chris chuckled as he pulled Tommy up into his arms so he could have a better look.

 

Dean couldn’t help but smile. He leaned over and swiped to the next picture. “This is the version of us in the next dimension I visited. In that universe, I’d been locked up in a psych prison for years.”

 

The other Dean gave him a pained look before he looked at the photo. “Who’s the beauty next to Sammy?”

 

“That was his girlfriend Jessica. He met her when he went to Stanford,” Dean answered with an almost sigh. Damn, his brother had deserved so much better than to lose every single girl he ever loved. Dean made a mental note to talk to Jack later about seeing what they could do to fix that. 

 

“Speak of the devil,” the other Dean announced when Sam and another man came into the room, followed by a woman who was enthusiastically greeted by Charlie. The other Dean waved him over. “Come here, Sam. You’re missing out on the weirdest Christmas family get together ever.”

 

Sam gaped at the Christmas tree, presents, and food before his eyes widened as he finally noticed Dean and Cas. He walked over to them and stammered, “W – what?”

 

Dean grinned and nodded to him. “How’s it goin’, Sammy?”

 

“Huh?” Sam stared at him. “I was only away for two hours.”

 

“Yeah, it’s amazing how fast radioactive waste can clone people,” Dean sassed as he grabbed his Cas’s hand and drew him forward. “I’m the other Dean. The one Cas met from another dimension. And this is my Cas.”

 

And finally Sam seemed to get it. “Oh, hi. Yeah, I’ve heard about you, but man, seeing you… it’s all kinds of weird. So how did you… And did you bring all this stuff? Are you staying? How long?”

 

Dean chuckled and shook his head. “We can’t stay. Got our own universe to get back to. But yeah, our son Jack is your Santa Claus, the one who brought Whoville to you guys. He’s also the one who brought us here to see how Castiel was doing.”

 

Sam turned to where Dean was pointing at Jack. The nephilim was busy helping Kiera wrap up a giant teddy bear. It looked like an impossible task.  “Your son?” Sam asked slowly. “Is he like half human, half angel?”

 

“Yup. And all goofy kid. But…” Dean smiled and wrapped his arm around Cas’s waist as he finished, “he’s  _ our  _ goofy kid.”

 

Cas smiled at him and leaned back in his embrace, his lips ghosting over his cheek before he pressed a soft kiss there. He turned to Sam again. “Dean was about to take a family photo. We’re trying to take one of every version of our family we visit.”

 

“Yeah, actually, if you guys could wrangle the rugrats, maybe we can take the picture in front of the tree?” Dean suggested as the other Dean handed him his phone back. 

 

“Sure thing,” his clone replied as he waved all of the kids together to follow him to the tree. 

 

It took a few minutes for everyone to position themselves. Sam, the other Cas, and Dean were standing in front of the tree. The kids were kneeling in front of them with big, wide grins. Chris just knelt there rolling his eyes, trying to look cool. Dean thought he and Claire would get along pretty well.

 

Dean chuckled and snapped a couple of pictures. He couldn’t help but smile at them all. “We should probably get going.”

 

Kiera pouted. “Already?”

 

Jack patted her shoulder. “I’ll visit again soon. I promise.”

 

Cas let go of his hand and went over to the other Cas, taking his hand to just hold it as they stared at each other. The other Cas nodded after a moment and Cas let go, turning to the other Dean. “Thank you both, for everything.”

 

“Yeah, man,” Dean said, addressing both of them, “thank you.”

 

The other Cas shook his head with a smile. “We have  _ you  _ to thank. And not just because Jack brought all of this much needed food and Christmas presents. I’m very happy to know my hopes that you would make it are finally not just hopes anymore. I’m happy that you’re happy.”

 

Dean smiled and nodded. “Me, too.” He turned to his doppelgänger and asked, “You gonna murder me if I hug him?”

 

The other Dean smirked at him. “Can I hug yours?”

 

“Course. I’ve got nothin’ to worry about. Mine ain’t obedient,” he quipped with a wink.

 

The other Cas looked very embarrassed and shy at that comment, which somehow made him even cuter. Shy was a good look on him.

 

“Maybe your Cas just doesn’t know yet how it good it can be?” the other Dean quipped back.

 

Cas frowned deeply. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I’ll tell you later,” Dean murmured as he pressed a kiss to his Cas’s cheek and approached the other Cas. 

 

The other Cas gave him a soft smile before he pulled him into a tight hug, murmuring, “Take care, Dean. Merry Christmas.”

 

Dean smiled as he soaked in the moment, pressing a quick and surreptitious kiss to the other Cas’s cheek. “Thanks for proving that my faith in any and every version of you is valid.”

 

The other Cas leaned back with a smile, his blue eyes shining with gratitude and love. “Thank you for putting faith in me when I had lost mine.”

 

“You never lost it, just temporarily misplaced it.” Dean drew back and nodded to all of them. “Merry Christmas. Thanks for letting us intrude on your day.”

 

“You can intrude anytime you want.” The other Dean chuckled before he chucked the chin of Cas and winked at him.

 

Dean rolled his eyes and took his Cas’s hand and nodded for Jack to follow them outside. When they were far away enough from everyone else, Dean gave Cas a pointed look. “So, what’s up with the weird silent talking between you and the other Cas?”

 

Cas gave him a soft smile. “We had a long talk before and I apologized to him. And I just thanked him. For everything.”

 

“So, you guys weren’t bad mouthing me and the other Dean?” 

 

Cas frowned at him. “Of course not, why would we… Oh. You’re making a joke.” Cas grabbed his hand and smirked. “Let me try that again. Um, we were comparing you two and how good you are in bed.”

 

Dean chuckled and waggled his eyebrows. “Funny, that’s what me and Dean talked about.”

 

Cas squinted his eyes at him before he raised his eyebrow. “You’re not lying. You really talked about that?”

 

Before he could respond, he was saved by a nephilim appearing at their side. Dean winked at Cas and turned to Jack. “Ready?”

 

Cas raised a finger. “Hold on a minute. When we said goodbye to each other and you talked about obedience, was that about sex?”

 

Dean gave Cas a pointed look and nodded in Jack’s direction. “You really wanna discuss this right now?”

 

Jack smiled at them both, seemingly not at all disturbed by the topic. But Cas relented anyway. “Later, then.”

 

“Later.” He turned to Jack. “Alright, let’s get to it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes. The angry orange man in the big white house that Jack stole the xmas tree from was Trump, America's fucking embarassment of a president. He stole it from Trump because, and I quote: "He doesn't deserve it." :D


	5. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

**Chapter 5**

 

Cas could feel Dean tensing up next to him when they landed in front of the bunker. He hadn’t told him much about this dimension, just the Cliff’s Notes. 

 

He was probably surprised that the Castiel from this dimension would still be at the bunker. They heard noises, groaning from around the corner. 

 

Dean exchanged a quick worried look with him before he pulled him around the building to see what was going on. 

 

Cas’s eyes widened when he saw another Dean holding another Cas against the wall, his wrists pinned over his head, kissing him.

 

Without missing a beat, Dean withdrew Cas’s angel blade from his trenchcoat and charged forward. “Get the fuck away from him!”

 

The other Dean whirled around in shock as he stared at Dean. “The fuck?”

 

The other Cas slipped protectively in front of him. “Dean! It’s not him! It’s not  _ him.” _

 

Cas had wrapped his arms around him to take his angel blade back, breathing out a calming, “He’s not a demon, Dean.”

 

Dean was breathing heavy and nodded his understanding, but he could feel the way the man’s heart was racing from adrenaline. He shook his head and stared at the other Cas. “I don’t understand.”

 

It was in that moment Jack appeared next to them, sounding sheepish as he said, “I should have mentioned it. This is the Castiel you saved, but we aren’t in his dimension anymore. I don’t know why, but he is in this one now.”

 

Cas listened to the explanation and shook his head. This whole dimension hopping was starting to get confusing.

 

“Wait, so… What?” Dean asked, brow furrowed in utter confusion.

 

The other Cas slowly stepped closer before he smiled. “It’s really you!” He turned to look at Cas and his smile grew wider. “And you saved your Cas.”

 

He suddenly pulled them both in for a tight hug, laughing when he leaned back. “You won’t believe it, but after you left another version of you visited me. He asked me to come with him, so I did. I started a new life with Dean.”

 

Dean had a bemused smile on his face, he turned to Jack and shook his head. “Did you send another Dean to him?”

 

That’s when the other Dean stepped in. He chuckled and gently grasped his Cas’s hand. “It’s kind of a long story, but the Cliff’s Notes is: as a thank you from a powerful being, I was sent on a quest… I guess? To find and save a Cas who had lost everything, because my Cas had died.”

 

Which didn’t seem to help matters as Dean asked, “Was said powerful being our kid?”

 

The other Dean shook his head. “It sounds weird, but actually it was God’s sister.”

 

“Amara?” Cas asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Um, yeah,” the other Dean answered.

 

“Wait… Your Cas died, too?” Dean asked. 

 

The other Dean looked away, his expression tense. “Yes. He said yes to Lucifer and died in the fight against Amara. Not even Chuck could bring him back.”

 

Dean looked at Cas and let out a soft sigh. “My head hurts.”

 

Cas raised his hand and softly stroked over Dean’s forehead. “It’s all very confusing.”

 

He grabbed Cas’s hand and drew it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss into his palm. Dean then turned back to the other Cas and said, “Anyway, confusing explanations aside, you look really happy.”

 

“I am.” The other Cas smiled at his Dean, who nodded with an equally radiant smile. “We are.”

 

Cas hadn’t known what to expect when they visited this version of himself. He could feel the happiness and love radiating from them and he felt a second hand happiness for this counterfeit. But he also noticed, for the first time, how different this version of himself was compared to the others. 

 

He could always see a lot of parts from his past in the other Castiels. But this one, he was different. More careful, softer and insecure. His entire body language was passive and inconspicuous. He wondered what had happened to him to hold himself like that.

 

“Would you like to come in? Jody, Alex, and Claire are visiting… Not sure if they exist in your dimension as well.”

 

Dean nodded and smiled at them. “They do. Yeah, if it’s not an intrusion.”

 

The other Dean smiled and held his hand out to Dean. “Not for the guy who killed that fuck. It’s a damn honor to shake your hand.”

 

“Man, I did what anybody woulda done in that situation.” Dean was always so humble. He genuinely was uncomfortable when people complimented him and it was one of the many traits that endeared him to Cas.

 

As they shook each other’s hand, Dean’s counterfeit shook his head. “Still.”

 

“You radiate a lot of power. Are you a nephilim?” the other Cas carefully asked Jack.

 

Cas stepped next to him and nodded. “This is Jack. Our son. He can travel between the planes and he brought us here so he could see if everyone was alright.”

 

The other Dean froze. “Wait a second? He’s your son? We can have children?”

 

Dean sighed and nodded. “Get ready to say goodbye to your figure.”

 

The other Dean paled. “What? You mean I can get pregnant?!”

 

Cas had to look away and bite hard on his lip so he wouldn’t laugh. The other Cas sadly freed the other Dean from his wild and ridiculous assumptions. “Dean, calm down. You are a man. You can’t get pregnant.”

 

Dean chuckled at the annoyed expression from his doppelgänger. Dean shrugged. “Ask a stupid question…”

 

“Hey, you never know with freaking angels. Have you ever watched Star Trek?” Dean’s counterfeit replied in an indignant tone.

 

“Yeah, but…” Dean laughed and shook his head. “I was about to say that shit’s make believe, but so’s half the shit we’ve seen. Anyway, Jack here is our adopted kid.”

 

The other Dean seemed to be relieved by that, but he still looked a little suspicious. “Are you sure? He kinda looks like Cas.”

 

“Acts like him, too. But even if he was Cas’s, we’re dudes. We don’t have the equipment to be knocked up.” Dean smiled reassuringly. 

 

The other Cas grabbed the other Dean’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry I can’t give you a child. I know how much you like children.”

 

Cas sighed deeply, he could empathize with that feeling, but he knew what might comfort his doppegänger. “In the first dimension we have a female vessel and we have a child. Dean can show you the photo.”

 

Without missing a beat, Dean pulled out his cellphone and after looking down at the device, handed it to the other Cas. “We make pretty babies.”

 

The other Castiel’s eyes widened and his gaze was glued to the screen. “She is beautiful,” he breathed out. 

 

Cas nodded with a smile. “If you swipe left a couple of times you’ll see our children from the third dimension we visited. Dean and Cas have three children there. All adopted. So you see… you can still have children if you want. Dean and I, we have Claire and Jack.”

 

“Exactly. Besides, family don’t end in blood,” Dean said and the other Dean high-fived him for that comment.

 

Cas smiled at the photos before he handed the phone back to Dean. “We have Claire, too.”

 

The other Dean nodded. “Come on. I’m sure the girls will flip their shit to see the mirror-verse versions of us.”

 

Cas smiled at Dean and nodded, following them inside the bunker.

 

The reactions of the girls were indeed hilarious to watch. The way Alex stumbled over her words and Claire just looked at them like they were from another planet. Jody was incredibly cool with it, but he hadn’t expected any different from the Sheriff. She raised two teenagers. Being calm in any kind of situation probably belonged to her skillset.

 

He had not expected to see Sam with a girlfriend. Eileen Leahy. Cas only knew her from what Sam had told him about her. She was a hunter in their world and she was killed by the British Men of Letters.

 

_ Hello, Castiel. Or should I call you Castiel-Two?  _ She signed with a slight smirk.

 

Cas smiled at her and signed back,  _ Hello, Eileen. It’s nice to meet you. Cas-Two sounds like a good option. _

 

Eileen laughed and proceeded to develop a variation of the other Cas’s sign name just for him.  _ There. Now it’s official. _

 

Cas smiled and looked over to Dean. “I'm officially Cas-Two now.”

 

Dean laughed and shook his head. “You’re number one in my book, though.”

 

Cas couldn’t help but smile brightly at that. The way Dean showed his love so openly now, made him happy beyond measure. They had danced around each other for so long, hiding behind denial, too frightened to take the next step... And now that the walls were down, what they had between them was finally not only tangible, but something that wrapped itself around him like a warm, comforting blanket. 

 

Maybe they always would have ended up together. In every world they had visited so far, nothing seemed to be able to keep them apart. Not death, not even the barriers of other universes. They always gravitated towards each other like two stars, ready to merge together.

 

Cas grabbed Dean’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand with a smile, the rest of the world forgotten around him.

 

“I'm not sure which of you is more gross. Our Dean and Cas or you,” Claire wondered out loud.

 

Dean chuckled and shrugged. “It’s not a competition, but if it was, we’d probably win.” Dean then spun Cas out, to pull him back in, and finally dipping him. He winked at Claire before he pressed a kiss to Cas’s lips.

 

The other Dean snorted. “Of course we would win. You’re not the only one travelling to other worlds to save Cas. And I even built him his own bathroom. We totally win.” 

 

To punctuate his claim, the other Dean drew the other Cas into a passionate kiss and it was hard to look away. This is what they looked like when they kissed? Cas suddenly felt too hot in his own clothes.

 

Dean righted them both and quirked his brow at their counterfeits. “I built my Cas a bee yard,” he said haughtily as he folded his arms over his chest.

 

“I helped Cas build a garden and a–” The other Dean snapped his fingers.

 

“A raised bed,” the other Cas supplied.

 

“Yeah, that!” Dean exclaimed enthusiastically. 

 

“I went full on high school and made him a mixtape,” Dean volleyed.

 

To his surprise, the other Dean froze and was quiet for a moment. He exchanged a quick look with his Cas before he breathed out, “Yeah, I did that, too. Twice actually.”

 

The other Cas pulled him in for a hug and carded his fingers through his hair.

 

Dean gently grasped Cas’s hand again and squeezed. “I guess you and I are luckier than we realized.”

 

The other Dean gave them a nod and a smile. “True, man.” He cleared his throat and pointed to the kitchen. “You guys want a beer?”

 

“Yeah, I’d love one,” Dean said as they started following their doppelgängers into their kitchen. 

 

When the other Dean opened the fridge, pulling out a few beers, Jack reached out for one and Dean smacked his hand away.

 

The other Dean gave him a pointed look. “Seriously? How old is he?”

 

“Six months, two weeks, fours days, and six hours,” Cas replied helpfully.

 

Dean barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah. That.”

 

“Damn, you look old for your age.” The other Dean scratched his chin. “Sorry, buddy. No beer for you then.”

 

Jack shrugged and cleared his throat. “I’m going to talk to Claire.”

 

And then he was gone. Cas leaned forward to the doorway and watched as Jack waved awkwardly at her in the library. His attention was drawn back to the kitchen when the other Castiel started to speak.

 

“I wonder how similar our timelines are. How did Jack become a part of your life?”

 

Dean chuckled before taking a swig of his beer. “How long do you guys have?”

 

The other Dean chuckled before he also took a swig from his beer. It was almost like a delayed replay. “You mentioned Amara. Did she... kill your Cas, too?”

 

“No, actually. She just, I don’t know, did she just force Lucifer out, Cas?”

 

Cas didn’t like to think about that time, but he nodded uncomfortably. “Yes. Although it had nearly killed me, too. I was lucky I guess.”

 

The other Dean looked thoughtful. “Mine wasn’t for some reason. I couldn’t even tell him how I felt, or say goodbye.”

 

“Shit,” Dean breathed out as he shook his head and took another swig of his beer. 

 

The other Dean shook his head. “Sorry… it’s just that I planned to give him the mixtape and… I never had a chance.”

 

Cas pulled the mixtape Dean had given to him out of the inner pocket of his coat and showed it to the other Dean. “A mixtape like this one?”

 

The other Dean stared at it. “That’s exactly the same… How?”

 

“My Dean gave it to me.” Cas walked up to the other Dean and gave him a pointed look. “I know you feel guilty, but you shouldn’t. If your Castiel was anything like me, he would want you to be happy. He would want both of you to be happy and have a second chance.”

 

The way the other Dean’s lip trembled was very reminiscent of his Dean. He looked at Cas, unshed tears in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

 

Cas nodded before he looked at his own counterfeit. “I’m very happy you found each other.”

 

Dean smiled and raised his beer in a toast. “To second chances.”

 

They all clanged their bottles together when Cas added, “And to a profound bond that is strong enough to carry on through other universes.”

 

The other Dean chuckled and said, “I’ll drink to that.” 

 

They all murmured their agreement and took a drink in solidarity. 

 

“Hey, can you take a photo of us, too?” The other Dean asked with a grin. “Kind of a nice thought to belong to a universal family.”

 

Dean nodded. “I’m pretty sure Jack wouldn’t let us leave if we didn’t.” He pulled out his cell phone and looked at them expectantly. “In here, or somewhere else?”

 

“In here is perfect. The kitchen has a meaning for us,” the other Cas explained to them before the other Dean wrapped his arms around him and pressed him close. Both were grinning happily when Dean took the photo.

 

Dean held his phone in his hand after, staring down at the device with a smile. He handed the phone to Cas to look at the picture. It was almost surprising to see a physical representation of a quasi philosophical concept. Happiness, in its purest form. 

 

“We look good together,” he whispered to Dean as he leaned over his shoulder, admiring the picture.

 

“Hell yeah we do.” Dean pressed a kiss to his cheek and winked at him. 

 

They chatted for a little while longer and when they finally said their goodbyes, the other Cas pulled both of them into a long and tight hug. “Thank you for everything.”

 

Cas smiled softly at him. He could feel his counterfeit had been badly injured a while ago, he could still sense the aura of scars throughout his body. But he was healing, he was becoming stronger. And it was all because of how strong he and his Dean were together.

 

It was inspiring to see.

 

“Take care of each other.”

 

“You, too.” The other Dean winked at them.

 

Only one dimension left to visit. Cas couldn’t wait to be home after that. Although this had been a mind opening experience so far, it was also starting to drain him. He couldn’t wait to just lie in bed with Dean later, to hold him close and kiss him for hours.

 


	6. I'll Be Home for Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! We got this entirely posted just under the wire! LOL.
> 
> P.S. Don't tell Any, but my absolute favorite of all of the family photos is the one for this dimension. I mean, I love all of them, but this one and dimension four have my heart. lolol. Again, WORSHIP HER FOR THIS AMAZING FANART.

**Chapter 6**

 

“Yes. My name is Jack.”

 

Dean quirked his brow and looked at the teenager. “You sellin’ cookies, or whatever Eagle Scouts sell?”

 

Before he could respond, a weirdly familiar voice said, “I swear, kid. We’re gonna get you a damn leash.”

 

Cas couldn't believe his eyes. It was Dean! The other Dean who had sacrificed himself for them. “Dean? Is that… It’s you!”

 

The other Dean smiled and nodded. “Figured I should let you guys know I made it out okay.”

 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean proclaimed as he clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

 

Cas just hugged him, holding him tightly as relief flooded his heart. He felt like a big weight had been lifted from his chest as he breathed out, “We thought you were dead. How is this possible?” It was then that he noticed another Castiel standing awkwardly behind them. 

 

Cas let go of the other Dean and stepped back. “You saved him.”

 

“Yeah, somehow I did. Wanna meet him?” 

 

Cas just nodded, still feeling shocked and surprised.

 

The other Cas stepped closer with a smile. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you two. Dean has told me a lot about you.”

 

His Dean grinned and shook the other Cas’s hand. He looked to him and said, “Is every version of you hot?”

 

The other Dean barked out a laugh and said, “Oh, yeah. I even have proof.”

 

Cas couldn’t help but pinch Dean in his arm for that comment. “He looks exactly like me. Why are you surprised?” The, ‘if you hit on him you’re dead,’ was implied and he was certain Dean got the message.

 

He leaned forward to look at the the phone display the other Dean was holding towards them. It showed another Dean and a woman with a baby on her arm. For some reason, seeing that baby made him feel warm in his chest.

 

“That’s us from that first dimension I told you about.” He proceeded to swipe through his pictures, showing them all the different versions of them from all of the other dimensions.

 

“Is the baby in that first picture ours?” Cas asked, still feeling blown away by how happy every version of them looked in the pictures.

 

“Yes, she is. Her name is Claire.” The other Cas smiled at them before he looked around. “Did you try to build a snowman?”

 

“Tried being the operative word,” Dean said as he winked at him.

 

The other Dean barked out a laugh. “Is that snowman Crowley?”

 

Dean nodded. “Isn’t it great?”

 

“It’s uncanny,” the other Cas murmured, hunching over to take a closer look.

 

“A fucking bottle of Scotch?” The other Dean said with a laugh as he took a closer look at the details of the snowman. He turned to his Cas and asked, “Why haven’t we ever done this?”

 

The other Cas tilted his head. “I don’t know. I never thought about building a snowman.”

 

Cas rubbed the back of his neck. “Eileen is pregnant. I wanted to learn how to build a proper snowman for her child.”

 

That caused both of their doppelgängers to flip around to look at them. The other Dean was the first to speak, “Eileen’s pregnant?”

 

Cas smiled happily at them. “Yes. We will be uncles next month.”

 

The other Dean smiled and chuckled a little sadly. “That’s really awesome, guys.”

 

Cas looked between them before his gaze wandered to the teenager who introduced himself as Jack. He wandered between the accumulation of snowmen and was currently looking at the snow shark. "How did you get here?" He suspected it was because of the boy, because he clearly wasn't human with the amount of power that was radiating from him.

 

“Jack, come here,” the other Dean said. As the young man drew closer, he looped an arm over his shoulder and continued, “this here is Jack. He’s a nephilim and how I visited you guys the first time.”

 

Jack waved at them with a smile as Cas tried to make sense of the situation. The boy had far more power than a normal nephilim. “Who are your parents, Jack?” he asked curiously.

 

“So, here’s the thing,” the other Dean started, an almost guilty expression on his face, “technically, Lucifer’s his dad.”

 

“What?” Dean cried.

 

He could see the other Cas automatically stepping in front of Jack. “But he is our son. His mother was a brave and kind woman... Kelly Kline. She wanted me to look after him.”

 

Jack smiled and nodded. “Lucifer may have technically been part of my creation, but Castiel is my father, I chose him.”

 

Cas had to smile when he heard the sincerity in his voice. He envied the other Cas a little bit for having a son. "And you helped Dean bring Castiel back from the dead?"

 

“I wanted my father back and an act of love and sacrifice would do that. And I saw that love in Dean. I knew he would succeed.”

 

“So, what happened? How did you come back to your world? I thought you died when you went to those shapeshifters?” Cas asked when he finally realized, yes, this was happening. Dean was really alive and well, and most importantly, he had made it.

 

The other Dean appeared perplexed and shrugged. “You know? I honestly have no idea. I felt myself die and came to back in my universe.”

 

Jack smiled and started to explain further, “Each dimension Dean visited required him to aid a version of himself and you in order to move forward. It’s why your dimension was last. You guys didn’t need his help, until you did. If Dean hadn’t sacrificed himself, he would have been stuck here.”

 

The other Cas gave his Dean a look that Cas could empathize with. To hear that his love died because of him certainly was something that was hard to digest. “So in the end it all worked out,” Cas mumbled to interrupt his counterfeit’s thoughts. “We are incredibly happy you visited us again, Dean. We didn’t take your sacrifice well. I’m so happy that you’re alive and made it back.”

 

“I’m glad we were able to see all of you again. And I’m glad we were able to bring you peace of mind. You two… you made me see how it could be,” the other Dean said as he took his Cas’s hand, looking at him as he finished, “to grow a pair and tell him how I felt. To not miss any more chances.”

 

Cas smiled at his Dean before he returned his attention to the other Dean. “Hearing that is an amazing Christmas present.”

 

He heard footsteps in the snow and as he looked up, he saw Eileen and Sam walking up to them with a curious expression on their faces. “Holy shit! Is that Dean?” Sam yelled as he ran up to them.

 

“Hey, buddy! I hear congratulations are in order!” the other Dean called out as he approached and pulled him into a hug.

 

Sam squeezed him with a big smile. “Damn. We thought you were dead. But… how?”

 

Eileen poked Sam in his side and he gave her a confused look for a second before he stammered, “Yes, um, thank you. You never met my girlfriend last time. This is Eileen. Eileen, this is the Dean from the other universe, the one who helped us save you and Mom.”

 

Eileen waved at them with a bright smile. “Hello.”

 

The other Dean smiled and signed to her.  _ Nice to officially meet you here. _

 

Eileen gave him a surprised look.  _ You can sign? _

 

_ A little. Enough to get by.  _

 

_ That’s amazing.  _ Eileen signed back.  _ Are you here to admire the snowmen collection? _

 

The other Dean barked out a laugh and said, “I can’t decide what I like more. Crowley or Jaws.”

 

_ Cas did a good job on those.  _ Eileen signed.

 

The other Cas looked at him in surprise, before he asked, “You built those?”

 

“Dean helped me with Crowley. But I built the shark,” he replied, entirely incapable of keeping the pride out of his tone.

 

“They’re all amazing, Cas. Too bad we can’t text between dimensions, ‘cause now I want to compete and see if we can make even more ridiculous snowmen,” the other Dean said in a chuckle.

 

“I can swing by anytime with photos,” Jack offered.

 

The other Dean grinned. “Then be prepared to have your asses handed to you.”

 

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Not happening.”

 

The other Cas frowned. "I don't have any experience in building a snowman. Are you sure you want a competition?"

 

“I’ve gotta get you to be more competitive, babe.”

 

Cas couldn’t help but smile when he watched the two of them interact with each other. It reminded him a lot of how he and Dean had been in the beginning of their relationship. He shot Dean a quick look, and the expression on his face implied he obviously had thought the same thing. 

 

“I’m a novice snowman builder myself. I’m sure you will do fine,” he tried to encourage his counterfeit.

 

The other Dean smiled and kissed his Cas’s cheek. “And I’ll help.”

 

“I know you will be in good, experienced hands,” Cas added with a smirk.

 

That was met with twin barks of laughter from both Deans and harmonious, bemused head tilts from the other Cas and Jack. The other Dean smiled and said, “We should probably get back to our world, but seeing as we’ve kinda made this a thing, can we take a pic of you guys?”

 

“Sure,” Cas said with a smile, immediately wrapping an arm around Dean before Eileen shook her head and rearranged them so they were all standing in a row behind her and Snow-Crowley. She gave the other Dean a thumbs up.

 

“Say cheese,” he called out as he held up his phone. He chuckled as he looked down at his phone, clearly catching how all of them made a silly face. “It’s great.”

 

Cas couldn't help but step forward to draw the other Dean in for a hug. He held on a little longer and tighter than was likely appropriate, but he was still so grateful to have found out he made it. They reluctantly said their goodbyes to each other and Cas added, "Thank you for everything. I hope you know how grateful we are for what you have done."

 

“Thank  _ you  _ for helping me have the life I never knew I could have.” He drew back and looked at Cas with a soft smile. “Merry Christmas, Cas.”

 

“Merry Christmas, Dean.”

 

 

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankie here: holy shit we’re done! So, first off, while any and I love how we wrapped this up, I can’t count how many times we said to each other: “Never again!” Because holy fuck was it a pain in the ass to write multiple Deans and Castiels interacting with each other. We sort of get why Misha channeled Katharine Hepburn’s voice for the cosmic entity to differentiate. And why it was such a pain for him and Jensen to film opposite themselves. Lol. So yeah. Never again! 
> 
> Any here: For serious. You have no idea how confusing this has been to write. Not only to write multiple Deans and Castiels but also remembering the timelines!!!! You have no idea how often I asked Frankie stuff like, “Um, FRANKIEEEE WHICH WAS THIS AND THAT AGAIN, D5 or D4???
> 
> Ugh, never again!!! But I’m super proud of this. We wrote so many different glimpses in different worlds and it’s basically why I love fanfic so much. We can make them happy in whatever version we throw at them :D. It was such a fun ride.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, subscribing, bookmarking and commenting on our series so far. And Thank you all for your support this year for any story of us really. 
> 
> We uploaded 469,104 words in 2017! And this doesn't even include all the stuff we have already written that isn't online yet because next year we have a fuck ton of other stuff waiting for you. Including the sequel and prequel to Playing With Fire, the sequel to In A Mirror, Darkly and a lot of other fics :D (two of them are finished and are already in the beta phase)
> 
> So yeah Merry Xmas everyone and have a good start into 2018! Love you all (especially my Frankie + 42 + mish + felicia + tfw 2.0)
> 
> Frankie here: Yeah, I really can’t better what Any said. We’ve got two more completed fics to be beta’d (one in the beta process as we speak) as well as a fuck ton of other stuff, including all of the sequels mentioned by miss Any and another bang fic we’ll start working on. Plus, our crazy asses are working on a couple of individual fics, too. Because, you know, apparently all we do is breathe and write fanfiction.
> 
> Happy Xmas all you awesome little llamas. And hopefully our crazy series being completed will help get 2018 off to a fun start! Love you all and (especially my schwibbel. I love you so much miss Any. To all of the dimensions written here and back).


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